A Tiantai Yunwu Tea garden at Huading Peak of Tiantai Mountain. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Tiantai Mountain in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, an important birthplace of tea in China, is renowned for its prized Tiantai Yunwu Tea.

With a legacy spanning over 1,800 years, the tea, characterized by its fine appearance, rich aroma, and refreshing taste, has garnered widespread acclaim. Tiantai holds the distinction of being the earliest recorded site of artificial tea cultivation in Zhejiang, earning it the title of "the source of tea in Jiangnan" and "the ancestor of tea in Korea and Japan".

The tea is planted across the peaks of Tiantai Mountain, with those produced at Huading Peak considered the best. As a result, the tea was long referred to as "Huading Yunwu Tea".

The adoption of "Tiantai Yunwu Tea" as a unified brand in 1999 marked a turning point. "We applied unified product quality, packaging standards, and trademark to enhance consumer recognition," said Jin Xin of the agriculture and rural affairs bureau of Tiantai county.

In recent years, Tiantai has embraced modernization efforts, upgrading tea gardens and factories with cutting-edge equipment. This transformation has boosted processing capacity and tea quality, leading to a significant increase in output value.

Currently, the county boasts three provincial standardized tea factories, one provincial automated production line, and four provincial ecological tea gardens.

By tapping into Tiantai Mountain's tea culture resources through festivals, expos, and experiential activities, the local government is working to elevate the brand reputation and influence of Tiantai Yunwu Tea, fostering a modern tea industrial ecosystem that integrates culture, industry, and technology.

"From originally selling tea products to now 'selling' tea culture with tea-related experiential activities, we have been propelling the development and enhancement of the entire tea industry," Jin said.