A tea farmer picks leaves in Qingyuan county of Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo /Tide News]

In the mountains of Qingyuan county in Lishui, Zhejiang province, renowned for its pristine natural environment, grows a unique type of tea known as wild tea. Local entrepreneurs are transforming this resource into a source of community wealth.

The story of wild tea's development is one written by local entrepreneurs. Wu Yuanfu, 57, began exploring wild tea trees in 2007 after hearing local stories about them.

After discovering their superior quality, he gradually contracted over 60 mu (4 hectares) of wild tea fields. In 2021, he expanded by leasing a 3,500-mu ancient wild tea forest on Yinping Mountain, creating jobs for locals.

Another entrepreneur, Mao Yongbao, returned to Qingyuan, his hometown, in 2014. Noting that villagers traditionally pruned wild tea trees for other uses without recognizing their value, he began processing the leaves into black tea and founded the Qingyuan No 9 Tea Factory.

His factory now purchases tea leaves from surrounding villagers and has revitalized over 650 mu of land where wild tea trees grow, helping hundreds of households increase their incomes.

Qingyuan, with an 86 percent forest coverage rate, has developed 10,000 mu of its 13,000 mu of surveyed wild tea land.

The industry, formally promoted since 2022, now involves 21 enterprises. It has increased the annual income of over 5,000 people by nearly 20,000 yuan ($2874.82) each.