Tea industry expands in Ya'an, Sichuan

Since the first giant panda was found in Ya'an, located 75 miles from Chengdu in China's Sichuan province, the city has been under the spotlight. Yet not many people know Ya'an is also the place where tea is richly cultivated for over 2,000 years.

Its unique location - a tributary of the Minhe River and the fringe of the Sichuan Basin, Ya'an is known for its quality teas. As such, Ya'an Mengding mountain tea and Ya'an Tibetan tea are some of the world's famous.

When the city hosted the 17th Mengding Mountain Tea Culture Tourism Festival on March 27, the opening ceremony was attended by more than 300 guests, including tea experts and entrepreneurs. Other attendees include representatives from Sri Lanka, Slovakia, and Ecuador embassies in China, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Bank.

On the same day, the Mengding Mountain Tea Village Revitalization Industry Summit was held. Participants discussed topics on the development of tea industry, such as "Tea Industry Status and Development" and "Tea Industry and Poverty Alleviation".

The tea industry in Ya'an has attracted more than 600,000 tea farmers and more than 500 tea businesses owners who're into tea planting, processing and sales.

Li Hui, owner of Mengrong Tea in Ya'an, has been selling tea for nearly 40 years. He said he has seen the market growth in the past several years.

"Just three years ago, many customers still did not know about Mengding Mountain Tea, but now it is very popular," Li said.

Recently with more promotion of ecological agriculture and local government's focus on the tea industry, more profitable tea gardens have been developed in Ya'an. Today the city boasts some of the most beautiful tea gardens that span 247 million acres.

In 2021, the brand estimated value of Mengding Mountain Tea reached 4.1 billion yuan, and the brand value of Ya'an Tibetan Tea more than 2 billion yuan. The total output of Ya'an tea reached 110,000 tons, and the comprehensive output value exceeded 20 billion yuan ($3.13 billion).

In 2022, the first spring harvested Mengding Mountain tea was listed as high as more than 130 yuan per pound, with a price increase of more than 20 percent compared with the same period last year.

The tea gardens and culture in Ya'an has also attracted many tourists. Jiefang Village of Ya'an, with 13 homestays and tea houses, welcomes more than 1 million tourists each year.

More than 10 towns like Jiefang will be built by the end of 2024, according to city spokesperson.