Workers select high-quality mulberry leaves and processing mulberry leaf tea in the production base in Buyangzhuang village, Qiujiadian town, Tai'an. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

Workers at the mulberry leaf tea production base in Buyangzhuang village, Qiujiadian town, Tai'an are busy selecting high-quality mulberry leaves and processing mulberry leaf tea as it is the peak season for the production and processing of mulberry tea leaves.

Zhang Shenghai, a worker in a tea factory, is busy cutting freshly picked and sun-dried mulberry leaves.

"We do not keep mulberry leaves overnight. The leaves must be green, fresh, clean, and free of impurities. They are processed on the same day they are harvested," said Zhang.

A worker in the tea production base picks out stale leaves. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

Small mulberry leaves sprang to life after the close collaboration between workers and machines. With complete confidence, everyone in the village strives to forge a path to prosperity through diligent labor, perspiration, and practical actions.

Peng Yongjun, head of the village, introduced the rich mulberry leaf resources of the village, which has a tradition of raising silkworms. He noticed that some silkworm farmers used surplus mulberry leaves to make mulberry leaf tea in small pots at home, which they claimed had sound effects such as relieving cough and moistening the lungs when brewed. This inspired him to leverage these advantages for large-scale and enterprise-scale development to strengthen the collective economy of the village.

In the future, Buyangzhuang village aims to develop a unique tea culture that reflects the local characteristics while simultaneously addressing the employment issues faced by the residents. This initiative will also help increase the village's and its locals' economic revenue.