[Traveling Along Yangtze River in Hubei] Fresh Tea Comes from Green Hills and Clean Water

A 10,000-mu-large tea garden [Photo by Liu Keqiang]

Hubei, located along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, is the province with the longest mainstream of the Yangtze River and has a long history of civilization. The region of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, represented by Hubei, has played an important role in the birth and development of Chinese civilization. Hubei has a profound and unique history of tea culture. It is the hometown of Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea. The book "The Classics of Tea", which is written by him and known as the tea encyclopedia, systematically and comprehensively recorded the history, culture, production, and techniques of Chinese tea.

Hubei's abundant supply of natural heat and complex geological features create favorable conditions for tea planting, production and themed sightseeing. Enshi, one of Hubei's cities, is endowed with mountains, rivers, abundant water vapor and fertile soil that provide nutrients for the growth of tea. Chinese tea brands represented by Enshi Yulu and Lichuanhong have gradually made their way to the global market in recent years. In various parts of Hubei, the cultivation of tea makes rural tea tourism become popular, while the tea gardens make people feel relaxed. Tourists from all over the country come to the tea gardens to feel the fresh tea fragrance, experience the fun of tea picking, and learn about traditional tea culture in various tea gardens in Hubei Province, making these themed travel programs prominent in Hubei's tourism sector.

Hubei donates packs of red brick tea to Mongolia [Photo via the Publicity Department of CPC Chibi Municipal Committee]

Hubei is part of the sources of the famous Wanli Tea Road. Today, Chibi has become a characteristic cultural tourism city of Hubei, integrating green brick tea planting, production and themed sightseeing. The traditional production techniques of green brick tea that originated in the year 1006 are still dazzling, attracting the attention of tea lovers all over the world. In 2020, Hubei Province delivered 15,000 servings of Chibi Green Brick Tea to Mongolia as national gifts, in return for the 30,000 sheep donated to Hubei for supporting China's fight against the epidemic.

Since then, the story of "Goat for Tea" became another well-spread tale along Wanli Tea Road.