Hunan Chengbu protects century-old tea trees and strengthens the "rich leaf" of Dong tea in Miao Township

China News Service, Shaoyang, November 12 (Fu Jingyi, Liu Jianping, Lu Weiming) After the beginning of winter, at the Dong Tea bases in various towns and villages in Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, Hunan, tea farmers took advantage of the fine weather to apply "overwintering fertilizer" to the tea trees, cut off excess branches, and do a good job in winter management and protection. For local tea farmers, these ancient tea trees that have grown for hundreds of years are not only the "green family assets" left by their ancestors, but also a source of income for their families.

Chengbutong tea is a rare ancient tea tree germplasm resource left over from the Quaternary Ice Age. It is also the "rich leaf" that Miao people have relied on for generations. In recent years, Chengbu has insisted on giving priority to protection and orderly development, and has continued to strengthen the Dong tea industry, allowing the century-old tea hidden deep in the mountains to come out of the mountains, polish its brand, and become a competitive industry that enriches the people, strengthens the county, and helps the overall revitalization of the countryside.

Preserve the ancient tea trees and preserve the good ecology of Miao Township

Chengbutong tea is one of the four native local tea tree groups in Hunan Province. It is a southern large-leaf tree type tea tree. Among them, there is an ancient Dong tea tree with a height of 7.28 meters and a circumference of 1.1 meters. It is the tallest ancient tea tree in the province. Compared with ordinary tea trees, Dong tea has strong regional uniqueness. After leaving the original ecological environment, some varieties are prone to changes in traits and quality decline.

Chengbu's unique alpine climate, clean ecology and soil conditions have given birth to the unique quality of Dong tea, with more than a thousand ancient tea trees that are more than a century old. The mountains here are continuous, the clouds are abundant, and the temperature difference between day and night is large, which is suitable for the growth of tea trees. Dong tea buds and leaves are thick and hairy, and the tea soup has a unique nectar aroma. As early as 1984, Chengbutong tea was rated as a high-quality agricultural product in Hunan Province.

In September 2026, at the 18th Hunan Tea Industry Expo "Tea Ancestor Shennong Cup" Tea Product Quality Evaluation and Colorful Hunan Tea Fighting Conference, "Chengbutong Tea · Ancient Tree Silver Needle" produced in Pengying Village, Tingping Township, won the "Special Gold Award" in the white tea category and was rated as a "Five-Star Famous Tea".

Based on its resource endowment, Chengbu County has scientifically laid out its industrial layout and built a high-standard organic cave tea industry demonstration belt around Baiyun Lake. Tingping, Baimaoping, Lanrong and other towns have developed contiguously and radiated from multiple points, forming a modern industrial base system that integrates germplasm nursery, ecological planting, ancient tree management and protection, and standard harvesting.

A piece of tea can increase people's income at their doorsteps

"Now there are companies with guaranteed purchases, and technicians come to provide guidance. In my 5-acre Dong tea garden, the young leaves of the Dong tea tree are directly sent to local tea companies for purchase as raw materials for Dong tea. The rough leaves can be made into dry tea leaves of Camellia oleifera and sold, which can increase the income by about 12,000 yuan every year." Zou Baiqing, a tea farmer in Pengying Village, Tingping Township, said that in the past, tea was grown based on experience. Now with technical guidance and stable sales, he is more confident in growing tea.

For tea farmers, whether ancient tea trees can bring income depends on whether the tea can be sold and whether the price is stable. The local government guides leading enterprises to establish a stable interest linkage mechanism, and helps tea farmers solve practical difficulties in planting and selling by distributing tea seeds and tea seedlings for free, providing planting technical guidance, and giving priority to purchase fresh leaves from farmers at a guaranteed minimum price.

"In the past, many farmers had tea trees, but lacked management and maintenance skills, and were worried that the tea leaves would not be sold. We hope that by providing tea seedlings, technology and purchase guarantees, more farmers will be willing to grow tea and grow tea with peace of mind." Gong Liu, head of Hunan Baiyun Lake Ecological Tea Co., Ltd., said that in the past three years, the company has distributed a total of 14,075 kilograms of tea seeds, more than 190,000 tea seedlings, and purchased 200,000 kilograms of fresh leaves, which has increased the income of people in mountainous areas by nearly 3 million yuan.

A leaf can bring people together. Today, Chengbu has cultivated 7 tea enterprises and 50 professional cooperatives. The Dong tea planting area has reached more than 30,000 acres, driving more than 30,000 people to increase their income. More and more people have benefited from the protection of ancient tea tree resources and industrial development.

Good tea from deep mountains, heading towards a broader market

Good tea must also have a good reputation and stable sales. In the past, Chengbutong tea was mostly sold locally, and foreign consumers didn’t know much about it. In recent years, Chengbu County has focused on quality while building up its brand. Through geographical indication trademarks, product certification and marketing promotion, more people have learned about ancient Miao tea.

"Chengbutong Tea" was successfully registered as a national geographical indication certification trademark in 2022, with a brand value estimated at 1.572 billion yuan. At the same time, Chengbutong tea series products have won many awards at the National Tea Expo, Hunan Tea Expo and other activities. Among them, "Gudong Red" was listed in CCTV's "Excellent Domestic Products", further enhancing the popularity of Chengbutong Tea.

In May 2026, the Hunan Provincial Industry and Information Industry Affairs Center organized a team of experts to visit Pengying Village, Tingping Township, to conduct research and guidance around Dong tea product design, quality improvement and brand promotion. Experts provide professional advice to local tea companies by on-site inspections of tea gardens, on-site tasting of tea samples, and special training, helping to better connect traditional tea-making techniques with modern consumer demands.

For industrial development, protection is the foundation and benefiting the people is the goal. Based on the industrial foundation and development shortcomings, Chengbu is moving towards the goal of "China's Dongte Tea Capital" by further strengthening the protection of ancient tea trees, improving planting, processing, sales and other links, and promoting the integration of the tea industry with rural tourism, cultural experience and other formats, so that the tea garden not only produces good tea, but also becomes a good place for people to increase their income and for tourists to experience the customs of Miao countryside.

The scent of Qianqiandong tea leaves empowers the revitalization of Miao villages. In the next step, Chengbutong will continue to deepen the specialty tea industry, protect rare germplasm resources, strengthen and optimize the entire industry chain, continue to polish the characteristic business card of Chengbutong tea, let Miaoxiang good tea go out of Hunan and go nationwide, and inject lasting tea flavor power into the high-quality development of the county.