Zhejiang Tonglu: Little Tea-Oil Camellia Brings Prosperity to Villagers

Recently, a sea of vibrant tea-oil camellia trees stretched across the rolling hills in the Lingyuan Village of Hecun Township, Tonglu County, Hangzhou City. "Until now, we have built two tea-oil camellia plantations, Juedaoshan and Ruiwu, covering nearly 400 mu (about 26.67 hectares), which has greatly boosted our village's collective economy and our confidence in sustainably growing the tea-oil camellia industry," said Xu Zaojin, the Secretary of the CPC Lingyuan Village Committee. 

Over the past year, Lingyuan Village has planted more than 25,000 tea-oil camellia seedlings in the Juedao Mountain. To irregularly observe the health of the seedlings and manage the tea-oil camellia plantations on a daily basis, over 30 villagers were hired to form a dedicated management team. "This has provided additional, regular income for villagers," said Xu with expectations, "Once these tea-oil camellia trees bear fruits, the yield per mu (about 0.06 hectares) is expected to surpass CNY 3,000." 

Hecun Township's Scenic Beauty

Hecun Township boasts abundant forest resources, with a forest cover exceeding 90 percent. In recent years, Hecun Township has vigorously developed the tea-oil camellia industry, as a significant effort of transforming its forestry. With a well-thought-out plan, the entire township, including the tea-oil camellia plantations in Lingyuan Village, has cultivated more than 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) of tea-oil camellia. Additionally, capitalizing on the advantages of "all-for-one" tourism in Hecun Township, it is actively developing tea-oil camellia industrial bases that offer tourist attractions, sightseeing and educational experiences.

Currently, the tea-oil camellia industry continues to expand in scale. It's reported that Lingyuan Village will grow an additional 600 mu (400 hectares) of tea-oil camellia in two years, achieving integrated development of the tea-oil camellia industry. Several facilities such as reservoirs for plantations, are under construction, with the management office already built. 

Tea-Oil Camellia

In addition to improving the infrastructure of tea-oil camellia plantations, Lingyuan Village fully leverages projects such as "cooperation with neighboring townships and villages" and district-county collaboration to form partnerships with the Shentankou Shareholding Economic Cooperative in Jiangcun Sub-district, Xihu District and Gaoting Community Shareholding Economic Cooperative in Shangtang Sub-district, Gongshu District, Hangzhou. In the near future, these partnerships will lead to resource sharing and mutual benefits, particularly in the sale of agricultural products. (Text/Photo by Pi Yunwei)