Township transitions from 'black' to 'green' economy

Tea plants grow in Jiuan township. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Jiuan township in Huaxi district, Guiyang, was once a well-known coal-producing area with over 400 coal pits. Since the township was designated as a water resource protection area for the Guiyang Aha Reservoir in 2006, the township has transformed into a region powered by the tea industry.

In 2007, all of the township's 400-plus coal pits were officially shut down. After multiple attempts and failures, local residents embarked on developing the tea industry guided and supported by the local government.

Jiuan township boasts more than 50,000 ancient tea trees and has highly suitable soil conditions for tea cultivation. Since then, the township has transitioned from the "black" to "green" economy, and many miners in the township have switched over to become ecological tea farmers.

However, some bottlenecks – such as the lack of a brand and processing enterprises – have hindered the local tea industry from developing in terms of scale and industrialization.

Recognizing these issues, the government, in pursuit of industrial transformation, introduced a national-level agricultural industrialization leading enterprise, Guizhou Gui Tea Group, in 2010. Some of the villagers joined Gui Tea Group so they could develop together.

Gui Tea Group is a modern tea enterprise that integrates tea cultivation, research, production, and marketing into a complete industry chain.

Its tea planting and production strictly adhere to EU standards. The company employs a development model that combines the "leading enterprise + alliance enterprises + farmers," driving the local development of the ecological tea industry.

After the enterprise started operating in Jiuan, it spurred industrial development, and the local talent pool in the tea industry also expanded.

Now, benefiting from the strong support of Guiyang City and Guian New Area, as well as the robust assistance of enterprises, the township is moving towards the integrated development path of "tea, culture, and tourism."