Town in E China’s Anhui boosts rural revitalization with tea industry

Farmers harvest tea leaves in Shucheng county, east China’s Anhui Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Shucheng County Committee)

Shucha town in Shucheng county, east China’s Anhui Province has boosted rural revitalization by promoting the development of its tea industry.

The town has four major tea producing areas and is home to 12,000 mu (800 hectares) of tea gardens. Its annual output of quality tea has reached 360 tonnes, with the annual comprehensive output value hitting 225 million yuan ($32.7 million). This has helped 4,000 tea growers increase their income, with each of them earning an extra 3,000 yuan per year on average.

A tea-themed scenic spot in the town receives 200,000 tourist visits per year and realizes a combined revenue of 270 million yuan from tea-related tourism, helping 2,000 residents find jobs and bringing each of them an average annual income increase of 2,500 yuan.

Lately, farmers have been busy picking tea leaves at a 1,300-plus-mu tea garden in Shitang village of Shucha town, as the garden has entered the harvest season of tea leaves since March 15.