Spring tea harvested in Guanshanhu district

A bird's-eye view of a verdant tea plantation being harvested in Zhuchang town. [Photo/Media center of Guanshanhu district]

The tea farmers of Zhuchang town were eager to get busy picking tea leaves recently, as the warmth of spring arrived in the Guanshanhu district of Guiyang city, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province.

As one of the region's special agricultural products, Shenque tea is only picked once a year before Qingming Festival – also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English – which falls on April 4 this year, as the tea harvested during this period is widely regarded to have the best taste.

According to Liu Tengfei, project leader at the Shenque Tea Plantation, it currently has more than 1,000 registered tea pickers on its books.

"In order to ensure that the spring tea can be picked in time, we usually recruit tea pickers from nearby villages. Villagers can collect labor fees of 2,000 yuan ($304) in 20 days," Liu said.

Zhuchang town has a long history of planting and growing tea leaves. The area enjoys exceptional environmental advantages with favorable air quality, bountiful water supplies and high-quality soil. As a result, Shenque tea is favored by consumers across the country and even overseas.

Liu said that customers from Chongqing municipality have ordered 1,500 kilograms of tea this year.

"We will make full use of the unique natural landscape and climate advantages to explore the development of our tea culture and tourism," he added.

On a bright spring morning, enthusiastic villagers cheerfully pick spring tea leaves in Zhuchang town. [Photo/Media center of Guanshanhu district]