On November 5, under the autumn drizzling, the walking into Fuding Pinpin Tea white tea plantation will present you a picture of a "Shangri-la Tea World" covered under mists and rains: there was an area of green water; on it pavilions stood silently; beside it the waterwheel rotated slowly and drove the water to make murmuring sounds; along the bank, stores for tea tasting and modernized workshops for tea processing in white walls and black tiles were overflowing with ancient charms; behind these building, the tea hills loomed, and rose up and down with green waves...

Tourists solicited by integration of tea with tourism

As one of the first sightseeing and experiencing tea parks in Fuding, in 2012, this white tea plantation was built by Pinpin Tea with a large sum of money at Heshan base in Guanyang by drawing on the advanced production and management modes of European wine estates; this plantation features an integration of white tea planting, production, marketing, culture, tourism and collection; endless tea merchants and tourists come here to enjoy the white tea culture and the sceneries of Taimu. On that day, two groups of tea people respectively from Shanghai and Heilongjiang stayed at this plantation. Accompanied with tea aroma, they toured the tea hill, travelled Taimu, and watched seascapes in Fuding; such unique and rewarding tea trip drew their exclamations again and again.

"Beautiful rivers and mountains in Fuding bring quality white tea well-known in China." Taimushan and Fuding white tea are two treasures endowed by the heaven to Fuding. Taimushan, a global geopark, is reputed as the most beautiful mountain along China's coastline. As for Fuding white tea, "one-year storage gives it the name as tea, three-year storage offers it the quality of medicine and seven-year storage increases its values to the level of a treasure." The world's best white teas are from China while China's best one is from Fuding. Two world-class brand cards indicate its great reputation in some degree. Since the beginning, the two major industries have a close relationship mutually. Hongxue Cave, including its surrounding ancient tea trees which produce Green Snow Bud tea, is a featured scenic spot you should not miss in the touring of Taimu; moreover, as for tourism products, Fuding white tea is the first choice as the local specialty. How to further deepen the cooperation, overlay and amplify the brand effects of the two? At the crossroad of two industries' transformation and upgrading, the integrated development of Fuding white tea and Fuding tourism becomes more urgent: the alliance of tea and tourism where the white tea and the tourism are in mutual promotion and integrated development will necessarily create a win-win situation! 

Leisure wooden house of Taimu Green Snow Bud tea culture tourism park set off against the green mountains and rivers.

During the period around the Spring Festival, in the symposium specifically held in Fuding with the theme of "integration and interaction between tea and tourism to seek common development", it was acknowledged that Fuding currently had possessed the conditions for the integration and common development of tea industry and tourism industry and preliminary attempt had constituted an example; meanwhile, the development policies at the provincial level and municipal level also supported the integration and common development of the two industries. Based on the current situation, the general development path covering "5 aspects" for the integrative development of tea and tourism was also put forward on the symposium; namely, construct one institution, such as the joint session for tea and tourism development, to facilitate the unified planning of the government; come up with clear ideas for tea and tourism development to further implement unified planning, publicities and policy supports; propose a schedule for the tea and tourism route to put into practice of concrete projects; bring out an array of tea and tourism products, such as experiential products in tea industry, purchasable products for tea-tasting and products for tea-drinking; cultivate a well-trained team for tea and tourism propaganda to strengthen the professional quality of marketing and propaganda personnel in tea and tourism industries, and to drive the common development of the two industries.

Based on the concepts of mutual integration, mutual borrowing and mutual promoting, a series of measures have been put into practice: in terms of brand creation, no matter it is in the propaganda advertisement, or various tea-related activities and tourism promotion meeting, the "mutual relevance" and complementation of Fuding white tea and tourism, have been highlighted. A series of advertisements representing the integration of tea and tourism have been produced, such as "Hometown of White Tea -- Taimushan", and "Beautiful Fuding Mountains and Rivers, Healthy Quality White Tea". On September 19, the "Taimushan Tourism Day", the two parties joined hands to hold the "tea reception in white tea's hometown Taimushan to bridge across the strait", where the tea people across the strait gathered in Taimushan to enjoy tea cooking, ideas exchanging and sightseeing, and scenarios of tea and tourism integration emerged continuously. 

Standard tea cellar in Limiao tea plantation

On the trend of the integrative development of tea and tourism, a batch of tea plantations combining ecological construction elements and modeled on the French wine estate, emerged continuously in Fuding: the Taimu Green Snow Bud Tea Culture Tourism Park, a close neighbor of Taimushan Scenic Area, is sited at YuShan Island Fragrant Tea Culture Plantation in YuShan Island Scenic Area; Taimushan Zhenyuan Tea Expo Park contains the ecological tourism tea park, tea culture exhibition area, folk customs experience area, leisure and holiday houses, shopping and entertainment area, and so on; Liumiao Tea Planatation is equiped with a series of tea and tourism items, such as sunshine house for white tea withering with standard wood floor, standard tea cellar, four-season themed park, white tea labyrinth, ancient workshop for white tea... These batch of tea plantations integrating the functions of production, processing, culture spreading, sightseeing, brand marketing, and image displaying converge popularity among tourists with their new sightseeing and experiencing models and solicit the visiting by endless tourists. Various characteristic tea tourism lines with different orientations spring up prosperously, such as the famous tea mountain line targeted at exploring "cradle of China's white tea" -- Taimushan, the history and culture line targeted at touring the "China's No.1 Village in White Tea " -- Boliu Village and the ancient mansion of tea merchant -- Cuijiao Ancient Dwelling, the ancient temples and Zen tea line covering ZiGuo Temple, Zhaoming Temple, Lingfeng Temple and Ruiyun Temple, the folk customs line famous for "ninety-nine hills rolling up and down with each other while terraced fields cultivated on the hills for tea plantation swirling up into the air".

The integrative development is designed to create a win-win outcome. Currently, the tourists come to Fuding not only for touring Taimu and islands, but also for the tea flavor permeated in this small city. The integration of tea with tourism gradually evolves into the best stage!