Local farmers are busy picking early-spring tea leaves. [Photo by Zhao Guanxiong/People's Daily]

Farmers in Lingshan county in Qinzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, began picking early-spring tea leaves shortly after the Spring Festival.

Lingshan county is known as "the county of famous Chinese tea leaves", and has a long tea cultivation history that goes back more than 500 years. It is also one of the earliest areas in China to start picking tea leaves in spring.

It is estimated that this year's yield of spring tea leaves will reach 800 metric tons and will mainly be sold to Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei and Sichuan at 200 yuan ($30) per kilogram. This will create a total output value of around 160 million yuan. 

Farmers happily show their full baskets of freshly-picked tea leaves. [Photo by Zhao Guanxiong/People's Daily]

Lingshan tea became a Nationally Protected Geographical Indication product in April 2020, and has since continued to rise in popularity. 

Currently, Lingshan county has a total tea plantation area of 76,500 mu (5,100 hectares), ranking sixth in Guangxi. It boasts 120 tea processing factories, and has recorded more than 100,000 locals who are engaged in the industry, and earn an annual per capital income of 25,000 yuan.

An aerial view of a tea field in Lingshan county. [Photo by Zhao Guanxiong/People's Daily]

This year, Lingshan county has devoted great efforts to the production of early-spring tea leaves. It aims to seize the spring tea market and increase Lingshan influence and market share, while also striving to turn the tea industry into a green pillar for local rural vitalization.