Huangshi, Hubei: Unlocking Prosperity with a Single Tea Leaf

Recently, the region has entered the prime season for harvesting fresh spring tea. In Nu'er Mountain, located in the Jinhai Development Zone of Yangxin County, Huangshi City, Hubei Province, tea farmers are diligently picking tea leaves in a vast 10,000-mu tea plantation.

Stepping into this verdant "sea" of tea, the saying "A single leaf enriches the people" resonates strongly. “These are all new teas and need to be harvested before Qingming Festival,” says local tea farmer Wang Xingnv. “My home is quite close by, and I can earn about 300 yuan per day.”

“This tea mountain covers a total of 20,000 mu of tea trees, and my plantation alone covers 180 mu,” says Fei Shifa. “After deducting costs, my annual income is over 500,000 yuan.” These tea trees depend heavily on water pumped from Daye Lake at the foot of the mountain. Grid personnel from the Taizi Power Supply Station of the State Grid Huangshi Power Supply Company patrol the power lines and inspect power facilities on the tea mountain, ensuring the safe and reliable processing of the tea leaves.

Min Jun, General Manager of Huangshi Jinhai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., introducing tea production

Photo by Cao Xiangkui

Min Jun, General Manager of Huangshi Jinhai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., says: “We are mainly responsible for tea processing, with an annual income of at least 1 million yuan. Currently, our workshop is equipped with two fully electrified tea-processing lines, where procedures such as fixing and drying are all completed by machines. The harvested fresh leaves must be processed on the same day, and we often work late into the night during this season.”

In 2023, an 800 kVA transformer was installed near the company's factory. Not long ago, power company staff made a proactive visit, compared the factory's electricity load, and recommended phased installation of smaller transformers and flexible operation schedules. These improvements will save the company at least 150,000 yuan in electricity costs per year.