The Fragrance of Liubao Tea Spreads across the World

WUZHOU, China, Nov. 11, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

A century ago, a vast shipping route carried Liubao tea from remote mountains, bridging the land and sea with a path of trade. Today, with the momentum of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Liubao tea industry in Wuzhou has embraced transformation and upgrading. High-quality, fine-flavored tea now travels along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, bringing the unique Chinese tea fragrance to people far and wide.

In Wuzhou’s Liubao Town, mountains stand tall, with an average annual temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall reaching 1,500 millimeters, creating an excellent environment for tea growth. Tea produced here is named “Liubao Tea” and is renowned for its qualities: “red, rich, mellow, aged,” along with a unique betel nut aroma. At one point, the export trade of Liubao tea was remarkably prosperous. According to the Guangxi Yearbook published in 1940, in 1935, more than 1,100 tons of Liubao tea were exported from Guangxi. The “Tea Boat Ancient Road” originating from Liubao Town in Cangwu County, Wuzhou, became a corridor for economic and cultural exchanges between South China and Southeast Asian countries.

Through the changes of time, the Liubao tea industry in Wuzhou has gone through ups and downs, but the perseverance of generations of Liubao tea makers remains unchanged. Today, the Liubao tea industry is developing rapidly. Statistics provided by Wuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism show that Wuzhou’s tea plantations cover 394,200 mu (about 26,280 hectares), involving 240,000 tea farmers, with tea garden construction increasing each farmer’s income by an average of 3,000 yuan annually, and Liubao tea’s comprehensive output value exceeding 20 billion yuan. To ensure product quality, Wuzhou has actively promoted standardized construction for Liubao tea. There is one existing national standard, 18 Guangxi local standards, and 24 group standards, driving the standardized and regulated development of the entire Liubao tea industry chain.

From the “Tea Boat Ancient Road” to the Maritime Silk Road, Wuzhou’s Liubao tea continues to broaden its trade routes through an extensive network of land, sea, and air connections.