Returning college graduate cultivates organic tea with care through ancient tea tree groves
The Yanhuang Tribe Return to Nature and Give Back to the Countryside action came to Geshang Village, Qishe Town, Xingyi City for a visit. The reason for visiting here was hearing that there is an ancient tea tree grove atop the Wanfeng peaks in Qianxinan. The car kept climbing while winding back and forth along the mountainside. This is a low-latitude, high-altitude area. Qishe Town is the highest place in Qianxinan, with an average altitude of about 1800 m and the highest peak reaching 2207.5 m. From Bailong Temple at the summit, overlooking the Wanfeng Forest, all the other mountains look small.
As for the origin of the name Qishe, according to the village elders, during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the seven Han Chinese surnames Xie, Zhu, Deng, Yan, Guo, Liu and Wang were the first to move here. Because seven houses were built, the local indigenous residents called the place where the Han Chinese settled "Qishe".
There are no industrial factories of any kind here, and there is no industrial or mining pollution in the entire town. The tea gardens where villagers grow tea are all far from towns, in an environment with no pollution, fresh air, fertile soil, suitable temperature and swirling clouds and mist. There is a saying: "On rainy days the clouds cling to the ground; on clear days the fog covers the sun." It is very suitable for growing high-quality organic tea. The soil in the Bailong Mountain range area of Qishe was tested by the Ministry of Agriculture Agricultural Product Quality Supervision, Inspection and Testing Center (Kunming), and the soil meets the requirements for organic tea cultivation. The area is now applying to be recognized as organic land.
According to the villagers, there used to be many tea gardens here, but because there was no brand and no sales channel, many tea gardens have become overgrown. Only in recent years has Qishe tea gradually found some sales. In the 1970s, there were once more than 20,000 mu of tea gardens; at present there are only more than 1,000 mu. Now the people in the village who are able have gone out to work, leaving only the elderly and children in the village, and much of the land has been abandoned.
When asked about the ancient tea trees in the village, the villagers said there are many ancient tea trees. There are 155 that are now tagged, but in fact there are still many more, about 400 to 500 trees. At first, these ancient tea trees were not regarded as anything precious at all. In spring, whoever wanted to drink tea would pick some new buds from the old trees and make a little tea by hand for their own use. Only later, after the government invited some experts to conduct surveys and identify them, did these tea trees become treasures. There is a young man in the village whom everyone calls "Fourth Brother". He is doing work in this area. Led by the villagers, we found "Fourth Brother".
These ancient tea trees all belong to individual villagers. "Fourth Brother" has several dozen in his own family. "Fourth Brother" is a returning college graduate. He feels that his hometown is too poor, that these ancient tea trees are all treasures, and that the soil environment of his hometown is especially suitable for growing tea. Through tea cultivation, he can lead the villagers to prosperity.
The ancient tea trees are like an elderly person in the years of time, using a quiet heart to watch the ups and downs of life in the cool world, tranquil and calm, not disturbing the lives of ordinary people, only sending out some new buds in spring so that people can brew a pot of tea for a quiet heart and grow old together with the years.
These ancient tea trees can produce only more than 100 jin of tea each year. "Fourth Brother" prunes the branches of the ancient tea trees and uses the cutting method to introduce and cultivate ancient tea trees. He has also introduced excellent Longjing varieties and grown organic tea. But without a brand, doing tea is too difficult. He can only wholesale it at low prices to some tea merchants in Hangzhou, and the villagers can only earn a little hard-earned money.
"Fourth Brother" said he wants to protect these ancient tea trees. The oldest trees are already more than a thousand years old. These ancient tea trees all have a spirit. He wants to lead the villagers to prosperity through tea cultivation. Although he is currently facing sales difficulties, he is not afraid. The tea tree deity will bless him and will send people to help him. Together they will work hard so that the villagers can live prosperous lives.