Tea mountains are among Zhaoping's attractions for tourists. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Earlier this month, a tourist surnamed Shi, 63, from Qingdao, Shandong province, took a group tour to Zhaoping county in Hezhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Billed as a "Shangri-La in the upper reaches of the Pearl River", the county is famous for its vast forests, crystal-clear waters and lush tea mountains.

The tour group visited Nanshan Tea Sea, a park rated as a national 4A-level scenic spot, the second-highest in China's tourist attraction rating system, and a 3A-level tea expo. Both scenic spots are operated by the Guangxi Jiangjunfeng Tea Industry Group, a State-owned enterprise funded by the county government.

Wandering around the mountains, they learned about different tea plants and had a hands-on experience picking leaves and frying them. "I have been traveling every year for the past few years, but this trip impressed me most," Shi said. At the end of the journey, he composed a poem praising the county's picturesque scenery.

The Zhaoping tour is jointly organized by China National Aviation Holding, the parent company of Air China, as well as the county government and local travel agencies.

"It is our new endeavor to utilize our aviation resources to promote local tourism and boost rural vitalization," said a staff member from CNAH. CNAH was designated as a one-to-one assistant for Zhaoping in 2012. Since then, the company has created a comprehensive assistance mechanism based on local industry, infrastructure construction, education, culture and other sectors. It has invested nearly 50 million yuan ($6.92 million) so far to help the county build tea production and processing bases, agricultural cold chain facilities and tea industry research centers.

In 2020, Zhaoping was removed from the list of national-level impoverished counties.

With support from CNAH, the Jiangjunfeng group saw its annual revenue increase from 5 million yuan in 2018 to 230 million yuan in 2022. Its organic tea products have been shipped to overseas countries, including the United States and Australia, making it the first tea exporter in Hezhou city.