According to a report from China National Radio Network, Jingdezhen, August 26 (Reporter Hu Fei, Intern Reporter Li Kexin), the fourth episode of the first season of "Listening to China Along the Latitude," a large-scale geographical and cultural documentary produced by China National Radio Network under the China Media Group, titled "The Hometown of Tea," recently aired on CCTV-10, the Science and Education Channel. The episode’s lens focuses on Fuliang County in Jingdezhen City, Jiangxi Province, located along the 30th parallel north. Amidst swirling clouds and mist, lush tea plantations tell the story of this land’s thousand-year-old tea culture.
　　In the documentary, Jiang Jianhong, the provincial-level inheritor of Fuliang Gongfu Black Tea and a holder of intangible cultural heritage status, sighs: “It takes just two minutes by car to step outside and find yourself surrounded by mountains, rivers, and streams. In such an environment, how could the tea possibly be anything but excellent?” Thanks to its superior ecological conditions at 30 degrees north latitude, Fuliang County in Jiangxi Province has developed a microclimate characterized by "fog covering the ground early and late on sunny days, and clouds shrouding the entire mountain range on overcast and rainy days." As a result, the tea gardens are perpetually bathed in mist and clouds, yielding teas that boast both ecological integrity and exceptional quality—making them a shining green hallmark of the region.
　　With its picturesque mountains and clear waters, pleasant climate, and uniquely favorable natural environment, this place is an ideal location for the cultivation of Fuliang black tea. (Photo by Sun Yisheng, issued by China National Radio Network)
　　The people of Fuliang are highly skilled at tea production, especially black tea. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Fuliang black tea was already mentioned in Bai Juyi’s “Pipa Xing,” where the poet wrote: “Merchants value profit over parting; last month, they went to Fuliang to buy tea.” The traditional production process—from the careful picking of tender young buds and leaves, through meticulous control of sun-withering and gentle kneading and fermentation, to precisely managing the heat during charcoal-roasting—adheres strictly to time-honored techniques. Today, this method continues to preserve the tea’s rich, mellow, and refreshingly sweet flavor.
　　“When I was a kid, I used to help my parents busy ourselves in the tea gardens. Now, even my own children are learning how to pick and process tea,” said Mr. Chen, a tea farmer from Fuliang County, after watching the documentary. “This craft has been passed down from Tang Dynasty poems all the way to today—thanks to one pair of hands teaching another, generation after generation. It’s precisely because of this continuous传承 that the fragrance of Fuliang tea can travel so far and last so long.”
　　Under the lens, the aroma of tea lingers gently, cups and saucers clink together—“The 2025 Fuliang Tea Buying Festival” is bustling with excitement. Beyond the lens, Fuliang County is using tea as a bridge to weave a uniquely captivating tale.
　　At the “2025 Fuliang Tea Festival” venue, a tea artist performing Song Dynasty tea-ceremony etiquette bows to the guests. (Image source: Screenshot from Episode 4, “The Hometown of Tea,” of the documentary “Listening to China Along the Latitude.”)
　　Fuliang County is actively promoting the integration of tea and tourism, creating a distinctive “Tea Country Journey” brand. Rooted in its thousand-year-old tea culture, the county offers immersive experiences such as tea-picking, tea-making, tea-ceremony tastings, and tea-themed banquets. At the same time, it integrates resources like homestays and intangible cultural heritage workshops to develop a year-round tourism model—“tea-picking in spring, summer retreats for cool weather, autumn scenery appreciation, and winter tea enjoyment”—carefully crafting for visitors a cultural journey brimming with the rich aroma of tea and imbued with enduring charm.
　　In recent years, with the support of the local government, the tea industry in Fuliang County has continuously regained new vitality. In terms of green development, Fuliang County has significantly reduced its use of chemical pesticides by promoting and applying new green pest-control technologies, thereby effectively minimizing pollution of soil, water sources, and air and laying a solid ecological foundation for enhancing tea quality. In the realm of digital production, China’s first intelligent production line for primary and refined tea processing has achieved full-process digital integration and control. This line can process over 400 kilograms of fresh leaves per hour and requires only one or two operators at the CNC console. As a result, production efficiency has been markedly improved, while tea quality is precisely and consistently maintained.
　　“We’ve always been focused on developing the ‘core production area for Gongfu black tea.’ On one hand, we’re carefully cultivating the local superior tea variety ‘Fuliang Shuye No. 1’ to lay a solid foundation for quality; on the other hand, we’re wholeheartedly building a 5G-enabled smart tea garden demonstration zone, leveraging technology to empower the industry,” said Ye Lin, Director of the Fuliang County Tea Industry Development Center. “Driven by technological innovation, the Fuliang tea brand is not only expanding overseas with a greener and higher-quality image but also genuinely helping tea farmers increase their incomes and achieve prosperity.”
　　In the first half of 2025, Fuliang’s total production of spring tea reached 6,295 tons of dry tea, representing a 3.2% increase over the previous year. The total output value of the primary industry amounted to 759.2 million yuan. Among this, the output of premium teas was 1,668 tons, with an output value of 587.1 million yuan; the output of bulk teas was 4,627 tons, with an output value of 172.1 million yuan.
　　From the millennia-old tea markets depicted by Bai Juyi to today’s booming sales, where online orders are booked months in advance—from the centuries-old hand-rolling techniques passed down through generations of tea farmers to the data-driven management systems employed in 5G-enabled smart tea gardens, Fuliang tea has consistently maintained its vibrant vitality through the passage of time. Amidst the lingering aroma of tea, Fuliang County will continue to write a “tea-scented legend” for the new era.