World's highest organic tea farm brews new vitality in SW China's Xizang

Yigong township in Bomi county, Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, is home to the region's first tea plantation — Yigong Tea Farm. Established in 1960, the tea farm is not only the world's highest-altitude large-scale organic tea farm but also a living repository of Tibetan tea with a history of more than 1,000 years.

Putao (R) talks with a worker of Yigong Tea Farm in Yigong township, Bomi county, Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. Putao is a representative inheritor of Yigong brick tea-making techniques, a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage in Nyingchi. (Photo/Long Minhua)

The tea farm, situated at an average elevation of approximately 2,300 meters, benefits from warm, moist airflows from the Indian Ocean, unique soil conditions, abundant rainfall and a mild climate, enjoying an ideal natural environment for tea cultivation.

According to Li Ting, leader of the Yigong Tea Farm working group from the 11th batch of the team assisting Xizang from south China's Guangdong Province, high forest coverage around the tea farm and significant temperature differences between day and night promote the accumulation of beneficial compounds, including tea polyphenols and amino acids, in the tea leaves.

The tea farm adheres to organic cultivation practices, avoiding chemical agents such as growth accelerators and bud stimulants. "We want to produce tea that is high-quality and healthier," said Putao, a representative inheritor of Yigong brick tea-making techniques, a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage in Nyingchi.

Tibetan tea is not only an essential daily beverage for Tibetan people. It has become a cultural bridge fostering friendship between the Han and Tibetan ethnic groups.

Photo shows Tibetan tea. (Photo/Long Minhua)

Today, Yigong Tea Farm is delving deep into its historical and cultural roots to develop distinctive intellectual property (IP) products. Li noted that these IPs integrate history, culture and the tea industry, making Yigong Tibetan tea more appealing and competitive. Meanwhile, the tea farm plans to leverage Nyingchi's abundant natural resources to develop tea products catering to modern consumers' health-conscious demands.

In the past, Yigong Tibetan tea relied mainly on traditional sales channels. Now, the tea farm is actively exploring diversified marketing approaches. "We want to optimize packaging design by introducing small portions of 5 or 8 grams, convenient like drip coffee, to attract more young people to try Tibetan tea," Putao said.

The tea farm is also tapping into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, advancing relevant certifications while expanding sales channels through e-commerce platforms, bringing Yigong tea into more households.

The integration of tea and culture has become a new direction for the tea farm's development. Within its 18-square-kilometer area, natural landscapes — including snow-capped mountains, Yigong Lake and the Kaqin Glacier — complement red tourism resources such as Xizang's first tea field and military reclamation sites, laying the foundation for applying for 4A-level scenic area status.

Photo shows Yigong Tea Farm in Yigong township, Bomi county, Nyingchi, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Long Minhua)

"We plan to create an integrated development model combining red tourism with tea plantations, allowing visitors to enjoy highland tea garden scenery, experience Tibetan culinary culture and participate in tea-making processes, while driving employment and income growth for surrounding communities," Li said.

Some university graduates have already returned home to join Yigong Tea Farm, participating in core work such as brand design and e-commerce operations.

"We hope to attract more young talent in fields such as planning and cultural tourism design, enabling them to apply what they have learned to the tea farm's development and carry forward Tibetan tea culture," Putao said.