A small tea leaf lifts up the dream of prosperity for the people

Qin Xiaoshao, general manager of Honghe Wulichong Ecological Tea Industry Co., Ltd., introduces golden camellia

In Honghe Prefecture in southern Yunnan, the mountains are high and the valleys deep, the climate is mild, and rainfall is abundant, making it a place rich in good tea.

From "Mayu tea" in Luchun County to "Terraced Fields Xiufeng" tea in Yuanyang County, and then to "oolong tea" and "golden camellia" in Mengzi City, each green leaf after another has painted a green blueprint for prosperity through the development of Honghe Prefecture's tea industry.

On this blueprint for prosperity, "golden camellia," honored as the "queen of the tea family," shines the brightest.

However, the reason Mengzi's "golden camellia" could emerge from deep in the mountains, as if leaving a boudoir, and become so dazzling lies behind a simple idea held by one person and his earnest practice of it.

That person is Qin Xiaoshao, founder and general manager of Honghe Wulichong Ecological Tea Industry Co., Ltd.

From setting out from the tea mountains to returning to the tea mountains, Qin Xiaoshao formed an indissoluble bond with tea. With tenacity and perseverance, he forged a unique path for the development of a tea brand. The success of "oolong tea" and "golden camellia" not only enriched the ecological diversity of Yunnan's tea industry, but also transformed Qin Xiaoshao from a restless young man into someone calm and open-minded, devoted to "a lifetime in a single cup of tea."

As early as the beginning of introducing oolong tea, in order to overcome technical difficulties, Qin Xiaoshao simply lived on the tea mountain and experimented alone over and over all day long. After more than a year of repeated experiments, he gradually grasped the secrets within. While preserving the clear fragrance and sweetness of Taiwan oolong tea, he appropriately added the rich aroma and mellow character of Yunnan tea. The light and the intense blended together, giving southern Yunnan oolong tea a unique taste that is elegant and richly fragrant.

Gradually, the fragrance of Wulichong's oolong tea drifted out of the valley and became beloved by more people. The registered trademark "Longgu Lake" of Wulichong Ecological Tea Industry Company was awarded the title of Famous Trademark of Yunnan Province, and its oolong tea, at the 2011 (Shanghai) International Tea Expo "Chinese Famous Tea" selection, won recognition from tea authority Luo Shaojun and took first place.

Golden camellia

Qin Xiaoshao introduced that golden camellia is praised by academia as a "superstar" among flowers and the "queen of the tea family." The "golden camellia" cultivated by the company not only has a delicate tea fragrance, a distinctive taste, and a fragrant, refreshing flavor, but also has good health benefits. In 2009, the company and the Tea Research Institute of the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences jointly established the "Golden Camellia R&D Center," and together in Honghe Prefecture they carry out selection and breeding of superior golden camellia varieties, rapid seedling propagation, high-yield cultivation, and development of a series of golden camellia health products. At present, artificial domestication and cultivation of golden camellia has been successful, and high-grade golden camellia paste and golden camellia products have already been produced.

"I am simply a farmer, and I want to grow tea well and help more farmers become prosperous." While achieving success, Qin Xiaoshao did not forget to bring everyone along to prosperity.

Qin Xiaoshao introduced that in order to help more villagers become prosperous, the company signed a 5,000-mu organic tea planting and production agreement with more than 20,000 farming households in Qilubai Miao Ethnic Township and Lengquan Town in Mengzi City. It adopted a "company + base + farmers" business model, guiding and supporting nearby farmers in planting tea. The company provided clonal improved tea seedlings to farmers free of charge and signed contracts with farmers for the recovery of fresh leaves at a minimum protective price, which both ensured the company's purchase of raw materials and helped increase farmers' incomes.

Xiong Guoliang, a villager from Chuchong Village in Lengquan Town, is one of the beneficiaries driven by Wulichong Tea Company. He said: "My family planted 8 mu, and we can earn tens of thousands of yuan in income every year. Since 2007, our village's tea planting area has reached 260 mu. Everyone feels that tea cultivation brings good income, does not require much labor, has low costs, and is easy to manage. It is a good industry for mountain farmers to become prosperous."

"As early as 2005, seven or eight households in the village, including Huang Guangxiang and Huang Zhaolin, each planted eight or nine mu of tea on their own land, and the next year they earned several thousand yuan. When everyone saw that growing tea could make money, they all followed suit and planted tea in large quantities," recalled Wang Lifen, a villager from the Jianshan Village Group of Mahuangchong Village Committee in Qilubai Township. Now every household in the whole village grows tea. Wulichong Tea Company also often holds "tea planting and picking training classes" in the village, inviting agricultural school teachers to lecture for everyone, and everyone is highly motivated to grow tea.

Li Wenchang and Dai Qiongxian, a couple from Xiaopotou Village in Baimengkong, Qilubai Township, also received assistance from Wulichong Tea Company, which provided 113,000 tea seedlings free of charge. Dai Qiongxian said: "In 2005 we planted more than 40 mu of tea trees, and the next year we picked more than 400 kg of green leaves and earned more than 1,300 yuan. Now the annual tea income has already reached tens of thousands of yuan."

Qin Xiaoshao introduced that in recent years the company has seized opportunities and actively integrated itself into Honghe Prefecture's manor economy development strategy, striving to build a "Golden Camellia Manor." In the construction of the Golden Camellia Manor, the company incorporates the farming and daily-life customs of the Hani people into the tea-picking and tea-making process, deeply explores Honghe Prefecture's diverse folk culture, and enables folk culture to be condensed within the tea manor and better combined with tea culture, enriching the cultural connotations of golden camellia and opening a path for the integrated development of tea and ethnic culture.

Qin Xiaoshao stated that the company will vigorously develop the manor economy and vigorously develop the golden camellia cultural industry, achieving the goal of integrated development with Honghe Prefecture's distinctive tourism. Relying on the unique Hani scenery within Honghe Prefecture, it will develop tourism products such as Yunnan folk tea culture experiences, tea garden sightseeing, tea art activities, and tea tasting, promote the penetration of tourism advantages into tea advantages, and open a sustainable and uniquely distinctive path of industrial innovation.