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Farmers pick tea leaves in Xinchang county, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Dafo Longjing was named in 1994 after the county's Dafo Temple ("temple of the great Buddha").

The tea's brand value rose from 1.73 billion in 2009 to 4.3 billion in 2019, and has ranked among the top 10 tea brands in China for the past 10 years. The latest national survey shows that the county's local Dafo Longjing tea brand is valued at around 4.52 billion yuan, ranking fifth among all domestic tea brands.

"We are currently focusing on how to spread brand awareness to generate more income for farmers," said Shi.

Local authorities have arranged for professional designers to redesign the brand's logo, incorporating elements such as Buddha and dew to distinguish it from other Longjing teas in Zhejiang. These elements were also showcased throughout the festival to promote the brand.

Online social media platforms such as WeChat and Tik Tok were used to teach audiences about the entire tea-making process and to offer virtual tours around the Dafo Longjing exhibition hall and local tea gardens.

Local authorities plan to invest 200 million yuan into the development of a digital platform over the next two years to better promote local tea.