China's tea industry is shifting from a pillar industry for poverty alleviation to a key driver of rural revitalization, said Li Chunsheng, president of the China Association of Supply and Marketing Cooperative Economics, at the 2025 Global Green Tea Congress held in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province.

China's tea output now exceeds 37 million tonnes, with the total value surpassing 330 billion yuan, supporting regional economic development and increasing farmers' incomes.

 

Li pointed out that tea has become one of the world's three major beverages, with over 2 billion people worldwide having the habit of drinking tea. China's initiative to designate May 21 as the International Tea Day in 2019 highlights the global leadership of its tea industry. 

In analyzing the development of green tea in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, Li elaborated on the transformation and upgrading of the tea industry in the county through integrated tourism, industrial development and cultural innovation.

Wuyuan now has nearly 210,000 mu (about 14,000 hectares) of tea plantations with the industry output value exceeding 6 billion yuan, making tea a key industry for increasing local incomes. Li believes the sector will be vital to boosting local prosperity and economic growth.

Jointly hosted by China Economic Information Service, China Tea Science Society, and the Ecological Civilization Research and Promotion Association of Jiangxi Province, the congress brought together tea experts and enterprises from around the world.