A verdant tea field in Jingning She autonomous county, Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/VCG]

In midwinter, the highland tea fields of Sanshi village in Jingning She autonomous county, Lishui, Zhejiang province, are thriving.

In recent years, Jingning county has implemented effective policies to promote the development of Huiming Tea industry, and advance the integrated development of tea industry, tea culture, and tea technology. The focus has been on improving brand awareness, quality, production, and marketing.

By 2024, the county's tea plantation area achieved 52.07 square kilometers, its tea output reached 4,365 metric tons, a year-on-year increase of 14.6 percent, and the output value hit 830 million yuan ($113.28 million), up 23.1 percent.

To raise brand awareness of Huiming Tea, the Jingning county agriculture and rural affairs bureau introduced a premium packaging for Huiming Tea across the county in 2021, enforcing uniform product standards, branding, grading, packaging, and pricing.

To expand sales, Jingning has revamped trade for tender leaves, established 24 Huiming Tea display and sales points within the county, and opened outlets in other cities. Online, the county has launched a Huiming Tea flagship store and engaged influencers to boost sales.

"We help tea companies upgrade their processing facilities. Jingning's tea production and processing are rapidly advancing from specialization and scale to automation and digitalization," said Pan Muhua, director of Jingning county's tea industry development center.

In Jingning county, the Huiming Tea Cultural Park is being built quickly, and the Huiming Tea E-commerce Service Center has opened.