About Xitou – the source of Qi tea
In the County of Wuyuan (in which Xitou is located) people are incredibly passionate about tea! The art of growing, blending and processing is cultivated and has been taught for over 1000 years in this region. For people wanting to work in the tea industry, the town boasts it's very own 'tea university' where people undertake 3 year courses.
What is it like to be a tea farmer in a remote region of China's Shangxia Province? Or a worker in a factory in Ziyang, a small provincial town in Wuyuan?
Come on a quick tour of Xitou and the Wuyuan district
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The light in Xitou in Autumn is soft and inviting… the days are 'gentle'. As you can see, communiting to work in Xitou is a very stressful affair.
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Carrying firewood home.
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This house is over 400 years old. It belonged to an official of the Emporer during the Qing Dynasty. The local Chinese considered it valuable to live with the sky and the earth… hence the open skylights. Today, people still live in these houses.
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Expert hands sorting tea at the Xitou processing centre
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Friendly children at Xitou village.
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Electric scooters… no emissions and very quiet! This is how some of the workers at the High Mountain Tea Factory get around town and to work.