The event featured colorful activities such as singing on tea mountains, cultural performances, on-site signing and sightseeing. It attracted over 400 people including leaders at all levels, guests and local officials, and those from tea companies, as well as more than 600 people from distribution stores in Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and other provinces. 

 

Hantang Yao Village is located in the mountainous areas in the southwest of Rucheng County, with a total area of 10.6 square kilometers and 336 households of 1,132 people. The average altitude here is over 850 meters, and the annual average temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. There are around 160 days of foggy weather. 

 

Thanks to its excellent ecology and selenium-rich soil, the local selenium-enriched tea has long been well-known.

 

 

Relying on its advantageous resources, the village has implemented the integrated management mode of technical guidance, product purchase, processing and sales and product brands through a model that combines the company with the cooperative, bases and farmers.

 

Villagers have been guided to develop the tea industry, with a planting area of 10,260 mu (684 hectares), including 5,800 mu (386.67 hectares) of high-yield gardens. 

 

 

Over the years, the village has developed three leading enterprises in tea processing at the municipal level, one national level farmers' specialized cooperative, registered three trademarks, and obtained green food certifications for green tea and black tea. 

 

Hantang village has been rated as one of top ten most beautiful tea villages and beautiful countryside in Hunan province. Hantang Tea has won many honorary titles, including gold medal at the Hunan (Chenzhou) Fruit and Vegetable Industry Expo and one of top ten innovative products in Hunan’s ten-billion-yuan tea industry. 

 

Hantang Tea is sold well in domestic and foreign markets, with an average annual export volume of over 20 tons and an export value of over 1.5 million dollars.

 

 

At present, the village produces 100 tons of tea annually, with an output value of 15 million yuan, driving tea farmers to generate an average annual income of over 38,000 yuan. 

 

The 260-mu (17.33 hectares) collective tea plantation also brings over 200,000 yuan in annual income to the village collective. 

 

To promote the integrated development of tea and tourism, the village has built multiple production and sightseeing trails, created many landscape pavilions and tea houses, and helped cultivate over 10 leisure & wellness homestay inns. It has also actively introduced well-known enterprises from other places to jointly promote the vigorous development of the tea tourism industry.  

 

 

Among them, the Yaoxi Red Army Tea series has attracted a lot of attention since its launch. 

 

Rucheng County was the main battlefield for the Red Army to break through the second blockade line during the Long March. It is said that when a group of Red Army soldiers passed through Hantang Village, local villagers provided Yaoxi tea to quench their thirst, which received unanimous praise. 

 

Zhongshang Silu IoT Technology Co., Ltd. came here to establish a base and a tea factory, as well as Hunan Jingxiang Runong Technology Company. It combined the flavor and quality of Hantang tea with local Red culture to develop Yaoxi Red Army Tea, which is widely favored by consumers. The company’s integrated industrial chain of planting, production, processing, sales, tea art training, and tea tourism is getting longer.

 

During the harvesting season of new tea leaves, the local government has also held cultural tourism activities like rural tourism season and tea tourism and cultural festivals, which also helps accelerate the development of tea.

 

 

On November 30 last year, the Sichuan Zhishan Shengyuan Technology Company  signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hunan Jingxiang Runong Technology Company, ordering Yaoxi Red Army Tea and other tea products with a total value of over 12 million yuan.

 

Since then, relying on its over 1,000 stores in the country and over 1 million members, it has vigorously promoted the development of Hantang tea industry. 

 

These two companies signed a production and sales agreement worth 20 million yuan on the site this spring, and joined hands with the local government to present a colourful tea tourism festival.

 

Chinese source: rednet