Tea gardens in C China's Hubei bloom into tourist destinations

In late August, visitors flocked to the Qinggangling ecological tea garden, 800 meters above sea level, to photograph its lush green landscape and walk among the tea trees.

Located in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, central China's Hubei Province, the tea garden is one of many scattered across 75 villages in the county that amount to 222,000 mu (14,800 hectares).

Photo shows the Qinggangling ecological tea garden in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

The local tea industry has transformed over the past decade from small household operations to high-tech enterprises, expanding from cultivation alone to integrated tea, cultural and tourism businesses.

The county has developed a growth model by converting tea gardens into scenic spots, tea factories into showrooms and tea growers into tour guides. This year, the Qinggangling ecological garden hosted 32 educational tour groups from across the province.

A woman demonstrates tea-making skills in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

A tea culture show launched in mid-July has been held over 60 times at a tea industrial site in the county, with each show gathering 150 spectators.

The county welcomed 4.36 million tourists in 2024, earning nearly 4 billion yuan ($560 million) in tourism revenue. Total output from the tea, culture and tourism industries topped 5 billion yuan.

An immersive tea culture performance at a garden in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)