Tea industry flourishes in Yichang as spring harvest begins
2025-03-28 21:03:44
By Yan Wanqin.
As spring arrives, Yichang’s tea industry is in full swing, with farmers busy harvesting fresh tea leaves across the region’s lush tea gardens.
On March 27, Xingshan County marked the start of its white tea harvest with a lively celebration.
As spring arrives, Yichang’s tea industry is in full swing, with farmers busy harvesting fresh tea leaves across the region’s lush tea gardens.
On March 27, Xingshan County marked the start of its white tea harvest with a lively celebration.
Participants pick tea leaves during a contest at the opening ceremony on March 27. Photo by Wan Chunfeng."Last year, we allocated over 3.8 million yuan (US$523,149) for fresh tea leaves from Pu'an Village," said Jiang Fei, head of the Safety Production Department at Hubei Zhaojun Tea Co., Ltd.
This year's harvest began on March 25, with fresh tea leaf prices holding steady at 200 yuan per kilogram. In just three days, output value surpassed 530,000 yuan, Jiang added.
With its unique climate, Xingshan has a rich tradition of tea cultivation. The county now boasts 65,000 mu (4,333 hectares) of tea plantations, including 25,000 mu dedicated to white tea, making it a vital income source for semi-mountainous communities.
Meanwhile, Hubei Yihong Tea Co., Ltd. is ramping up production to meet overseas orders.
"My team produces bagged tea at a rate of 20,000 packs per day—about 41 per minute," said Xiao Jinyan, the company's production manager.
According to assistant general manager Zhang Yuhang, the company is currently processing a 150-ton order of Yihong black tea bound for France, valued at over 2 million yuan, alongside 100 tons of domestic orders.
Since the beginning of this year, total sales have jumped by 36 percent year-on-year, with 70 percent of products exported to the EU, US, Japan, and the Middle East.
In Wufeng, another key tea-producing area in Yichang, innovation is blending with tradition. Livestreamed "cloud tea tours," traditional tea-making demonstrations, and spring tea pre-sales are turning tea from an agricultural product into a cultural experience.
The county is also focusing on variety improvement, quality enhancement, and brand development to transform green leaves into a "golden key" for prosperity. With 220,000 mu of tea plantations and an annual output exceeding 1.2 billion yuan, Wufeng's tea industry remains a major driver of economic growth.
Wan Chunfeng, Chen Kexin and Song Yujie contributed to this story.
