Tea industry prospers through diversified development in Lincang, SW China’s Yunnan

Lincang city in southwest China’s Yunnan Province is an important global center for the origin and cultivation of tea trees. Rich in tea tree resources, the high mountains and mists of the area make tea a pillar industry for rural revitalization in the region.

In recent years, while deepening the supply-side structural reform of the tea industry, the city has been exploring digital transformation to allow the aroma of its teas to reach beyond the mountains and embark on a new path.

Photo shows an ancient tea tree that is over 1,000 years old in Lincang city, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China Lincang municipal committee)

Shuangjiang Lahu, Wa, Bulang and Dai Autonomous County in Lincang is one of the top 100 counties in the tea sector in China. The county boasts 36,900 mu (2,460 hectares) of ancient tea trees that are over 100 years old. It’s a crucial production area for famous Pu’er tea, a type of fermented tea.

To promote better development of the tea sector, the county opened an account on the popular Chinese short-video platform Douyin in April 2023, according to Xu Yahe, executive head of the research institute for the coordinated development of tea culture, tea industry and tea technology in Shuangjiang county.

As of July 5, 2024, 205 livestreams had been held via the account, receiving over 119,000 orders and generating sales of more than 41.74 million yuan ($5.76 million) since the first livestreaming session on Aug. 16 last year, said Zhou Qi, operator of the account and livestreamer.

Behind the success is strict quality control and the introduction of professionals from institutions, including the research institute for the coordinated development of tea culture, tea industry and tea technology in Shuangjiang county, who carefully select tea products.

Photo shows a core tea-producing area in Mangfei village, Yongde county, Lincang city, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (People’s Daily Online/Cai Shujing)

For many young people, drinking milk tea, or bubble tea, has become a normal habit. Fengqing county in Lincang, known as the “world’s hometown of Dianhong tea (Yunnan black tea)”, began integrating traditional Dianhong tea with new-style tea beverages as early as 2010.

To better utilize its “Dianhong Tea” brand, Fengqing established a Dianhong Tea Industry Alliance in 2021, implementing a five-step strategy to address issues in the industry. Members of the alliance have grown from 61 to 110.

Fengqing has attracted major new-style tea beverage brands like Mixue and Shanghai-based milk tea chain Auntea Jenny to establish strategic partnerships.

It is reported that in China, six out of every 10 cups of milk tea with black tea contain ingredients sourced from Fenqing. In 2023, the comprehensive output value of Fengqing’s tea leaves exceeded 7.7 billion yuan, with tea farmers’ per capita income reaching 6,742 yuan, up 11.65 percent year-on-year.

The combination of tea and coffee has become a new trend. In the Linxiang district of Lincang city, a tea company has launched a series of drinks that blend the flavors of tea and coffee, which are popular among customers.

Achieving “coffee in one hand and tea in the other, whatever you want to drink, you can drink” is Lincang’s “new aspiration.”

Photo shows a tea drink shop that offers drinks blending the flavors of tea and coffee in Linxiang district, Lincang city, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (People’s Daily Online/Cai Shujing)