China
China is the largest producer of tea in the world. China is the birthplace of specialty tea and the diversity of tea style produced there is unparalleled. Major tea growing areas in China lie between 230 and 310 N latitudes.The tea growing areas are distributed in 19 provinces out of which the main tea growing regions are:
i) Fujian Province
ii) Yunnan Province
iii) Zhejiang Province
iv) Sichuan Province
v) Hubei Province
vi) Hunan Province
vii) Anhui Province
Tea cultivation in China is a village industry. Farmers grow tea as one of many crops, generally on steep hill slopes where other crops cannot be grown profitably. The holdings are small, sometimes containing only 100-200 bushes. Mostly China type tea is grown in China. However, Assam type or Assam hybrids are cultivated in the southern provinces bordering North Myanmar and Indo-China peninsula.You will know about the different kinds of tea plants like Assam tea plant, China tea plant, Cambod tea plants etc.in Lesson #5.
The growers usually initiate the process of manufacture after which it is taken over by hongs or factories, which are located in almost every village. The leaf manufactured in these village factories pass through several intermediaries who carry out further processing and grading before sending the product to the domestic market or for export. Several kinds of tea are produced in China. Of these green tea forms the main bulk (more than 60 %) and black tea accounts for about 20% of the total production. Other teas processed are white tea, yellow tea and oolong tea.
