Modog, Tibet: The development force behind a piece of tea Green Village, Beibeng Township, Medog County | Tea Industry | Green Village

Lhasa, May 21st: Title: Medog, Tibet: The development force behind a piece of tea

Covered in mountains, jungles, and shrouded in clouds and mist, Medog County in the Tibet Autonomous Region has always been known as the "Secret Land of the Plateau" and is now working hard to gain a new name as the "Hometown of Tea" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

As a beneficiary of the Indian Ocean's warm and humid airflow, Medog has a forest coverage rate of 78%, but more than 70% of the county's population is engaged in agricultural production. More than 20 years ago, people here mainly made a living by hunting and growing corn. How to get rid of poverty and become rich has long troubled local people. In 2013, the Bo-Mexico Highway was officially opened to traffic. Medog ended its history of being blocked by roads and ushered in new development. The tea industry is one of the important opportunities.

"In 2011, team members from Guangdong and Fujian came to Tibet to discover the climate conditions suitable for growing tea and introduced tea saplings," said Yu Jiachun, deputy director of the Medog County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau.

Entering Medog, you can see tea gardens of different sizes on both sides of the road, halfway up the mountain, and among the clouds and mist. The tea gardens in Green Village in Beibeng Township are stacked in layers among the mountains, and the villagers picking tea are looming among the mist.

Green Village Tea Garden in Beibeng Township, Medog County. Photo by reporter Jiang Fan

The proverb "It is better to go without food for three days than to go without tea for one day" shows that tea plays an important role in the lives of plateau people. Historically, tea from Sichuan, Yunnan and other places continued to enter Tibet through the Ancient Tea Horse Road. According to survey data on adult border sales of tea consumption in Tibet and other regions, Tibetan adult residents consume 16.9 kilograms of tea per year, which is higher than the national average.

Today, Tibetan people drink tea grown on the plateau. From the trial planting of the first tea field in 2011 to the full promotion of planting in 2013, the Medog County Government has guided and supported farmers to grow tea throughout the chain.

The reporter came to the tea purchase point in Green Village, Beibeng Township, Medog County, and saw the tea farmers who were returning home with loads of goods sorting the tea. "What I picked today is 'one bud and two leaves'. I picked a total of 23.8 kilograms. Today's price is 25 yuan per kilogram, and my income is nearly 600 yuan." Davarajen, a villager in Green Village, said. It is understood that during the tea picking period before Ming Dynasty this year, the villagers with the highest income exceeded 2,000 yuan in one day.

In addition to selling tea leaves, people in Green Village are continuing to expand the tea industry. Watching tea, drinking tea, eating tea, and experiencing tea making, around tea and tea gardens, with the support of the government, Green Village has its own brand, and a tea processing plant has also been built in the village, forming a "one-stop" development chain for the tea industry. . "Since the tea factory officially opened in 2023, sales have exceeded 10 million yuan." said Chen Chao, head of Tibet Linzhi Motuo Shibao Tea Co., Ltd.

Yuan Meihua, a villager in Green Village, Beibeng Township, Medog County, makes tea for tourists at the village’s specialty sales department. Photo by reporter Jiang Fan

A piece of tea has become the development force for rural revitalization in Medog.

Nowadays, more and more people who visit Medog regard tea as one of their travel experiences. Tourists took photos while walking and marveled at the beauty of the scenery.

"I stayed here for two days and found it very beautiful." said Zhou Xinyu, a self-driver from Kunshan, Jiangsu. "Tea-tourism integration" is Green Village's continuous and in-depth development based on the tea garden. Currently, there are 6 B&Bs and 2 restaurants in the village. In 2023, the village's catering and accommodation revenue exceeded 1 million yuan.

Growing tea has enriched farmers, and more importantly, it has allowed Medog to find a development direction in ecologically enriching its people.

In 2023, Medog County will introduce five new tea companies to meet the needs of the expanding planting and picking area.

"Currently, 103 alpine organic tea gardens have been built in the county, with a total area of ​​19,000 acres, and the picking area this year is 16,000 acres. So far, the amount of green tea purchased in Medog County this year has exceeded 233,500 jins, and the people's tea green income has exceeded 8.373 million yuan, and the added output value of the tea industry exceeds 40 million yuan," said Li Wei, deputy magistrate of Medog County.

Through the wisps of tea fragrance, the melodious camel bells along the ancient Tea-Horse Road in history have become the clarion call for the revitalization of Medog's rural areas.

Nowadays, Motuo tea has varieties such as Meizhan, Fuding Dabai, Huangguanyin, Fenghuang Dancong, and Chuyeqi, which continue to meet the diverse needs of the market. There are sales channels for Motuo tea in Lhasa, Chengdu, Guangdong and other places.

"Green is the background color of Medog. A good natural environment is the biggest advantage of Medog's agricultural products. Green and organic are the basic standards for industrial creation. We will continue to uphold the concept of development through protection and let the fragrance of Medog tea spread all over the world." Li Wei said.