In Fengqing County, Lincang, Yunnan, a single tea leaf is becoming an important pillar of county-level economic growth and rural revitalization. Known as the “Hometown of Dianhong Tea,” Fengqing has relied on its long tea-growing history, premium large-leaf tea resources, and strong industrial foundation to steadily upgrade Dianhong tea from a traditional agricultural product into a 10-billion-yuan industry.
Fengqing is one of the core regions in the world’s original tea tree area and is rich in ancient tea tree resources. Among them, the Jinxiu Tea Ancestor, which is more than 3,200 years old, is regarded as an important natural heritage symbol of Chinese tea culture. The modern story of Dianhong black tea began in 1938, when tea expert Feng Shaoqiu successfully produced black tea in Fengqing. This made Fengqing the birthplace of Dianhong tea and marked the starting point for China’s premium black tea to enter the global market.
After years of development, the tea industry has become Fengqing’s traditional pillar industry and a major source of income for local residents. In 2025, the county’s tea garden area remained stable at 516,000 mu, with 48,900 tons of rough tea produced and a total tea industry output value of 10.001 billion yuan. The county has 75,600 tea-growing households and 282,400 people involved in the tea industry, with average annual income per tea-growing household reaching 28,600 yuan. Tea has become an important and steady source of income growth for local people.
Behind the expansion of industry scale is the continuous improvement of the full industrial chain. Upstream, Fengqing has promoted the protection and use of green tea gardens, organic tea gardens, and ancient tea gardens, building 488,700 mu of standardized green-food raw material tea bases and 72,900 mu of organically certified tea gardens. Midstream, the county now has 596 standardized primary tea processing sites, 444 tea cooperatives, 107 SC-certified production enterprises, and 15 large-scale tea enterprises, with annual refined tea processing capacity continuing to grow. Downstream, Fengqing has expanded its market through direct brand sales, e-commerce platforms, and distribution networks, allowing Dianhong tea to move from the place of origin to markets across China and overseas.
Brand building has been key to improving the competitiveness of Fengqing Dianhong tea. In recent years, Fengqing has strengthened its production and processing system around the principle of “one production standard, one processing standard, and one grading standard,” helping its regional brand shift from being “numerous and scattered” to becoming “stronger and more refined.” Fengqing Dianhong Tea has obtained national geographical indication certification. In 2024, its brand value reached 4.583 billion yuan, and in 2025, its regional public brand influence ranked 8th among all tea brands nationwide and 2nd among black tea brands.
In terms of organization, Fengqing has connected scattered tea farmers, primary processors, and leading enterprises through a model of “industry alliance + refined tea leaders + primary processing enterprises + cooperatives + production bases + farmers.” At present, alliance members have established benefit-sharing relationships with 418 primary processing sites, linking large numbers of tea farmers across the county. This has helped promote shared standards, shared branding, and shared market development, while allowing farmers to participate more steadily in the distribution of industrial-chain benefits.
The value of the tea industry is also expanding from simply “selling tea leaves” to “selling experiences, culture, and a lifestyle.” Relying on resources such as the Jinxiu Tea Ancestor, Lushi Ancient Town, and Anshi Village, known as the “No. 1 Dianhong Village,” Fengqing has continued to develop tea-tourism integration projects, turning tea gardens into scenic areas, villages into destinations, and tea mountains into long-stay spaces. Visitors can not only taste and buy tea, but also walk through tea gardens, learn about tea-making, and experience tea culture firsthand.
From one leaf to one full chain, and from one brand to one industrial cluster, Fengqing Dianhong tea is showing a new path for the high-quality development of county-level specialty industries. Looking ahead, Fengqing will continue working toward its goal of becoming “China’s No. 1 Black Tea County,” while promoting greener, more standardized, more branded, and more digital development, so that Dianhong tea can become an important calling card for increasing local incomes, advancing rural revitalization, and showcasing Yunnan’s specialty industries. (End)
