Women of the She ethnic minority pick tea leaves on Chaoyang Mountain, Pingyang county. [Photo by Su Qiaojiang/66wz.com]
Spring in East China's Zhejiang province started with a cup of morning tea in Wenzhou, which is known for its freshness and sweetness.
Every February, tea harvest season comes to Wenzhou, more than a month earlier than Wenzhou's neighboring city Hangzhou, known for its West Lake Longjing Tea, and even more earlier than other areas around the country.
In May 2020, Wenzhou Morning Tea became a geographical indication agricultural product. Last year, the total planting area of Wenzhou tea reached 280,000 mu (18,667 hectares), generating an output of 7,277.14 metric tons, while the total output value rose by 5.2 percent year on year to 1.38 billion yuan ($200.67 million).
Wenzhou Morning Tea is a public brand shared by districts, counties and county-level cities administered by Wenzhou. Each region has its distinctive sub-variety, such as Taishun county best known for Sanbeixiang and Pingyang county for Huangtang.
The Wenzhou government has also joined hands with the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to set up a research institute for Wenzhou tea so as to roll out long-term development plans and work out more targeted promotional campaigns.
