Italian man brews tea connections in Wencheng

Perversi Simone, an Italian living and working in Wencheng county in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, recently spent a day getting immersed in the rich local tea culture.

"I've never seen how tea trees are grown or picked tea leaves before. It was quite different from what I imagined," said Simone after picking fresh tea leaves at a tea plantation on Jiulong Mountain. "It was unique, different from other farming activities I've experienced."

He also tried stir-frying fresh tea leaves – a time-honored technique that requires not only skill but also meticulous attention to detail.

"You should keep pressing and stir-frying the tea, change your position if necessary, to ensure that all the tea is evenly heated. Only the most skillful masters can make tea that is perfect in color, aroma and taste," said Cai Yongyou, director of a plantation on Jiulong Mountain.

"Although machines can make tea more efficiently, tea stir-fried by hand is more fragrant and can be brewed more times," Cai added.

Simone also learned to brew tea in the same way it was done in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

"The foam looks like the milk foam of coffee and is unique in its light and mild taste," Simone said. "Brewing a cup of tea requires not only patience but also ingenuity."

Simone was glad to have had the opportunity to learn about Wencheng tea culture. He said he was looking forward to attending more such cultural activities in the future.

The tea industry is the epitome of Wencheng county's efforts to achieve common prosperity.

Cai said his plantation on Jiulong Mountain was the largest of its kind in Pinghe town with a total area of 113 hectares. He has been working with the surrounding villages and farmers in recent years and founded a specialized tea industry association. In Tiandong village alone, Cai has helped 272 farmers generate more than 7 million yuan ($1.1 million) in profits.