In the distance, wisps of blue smoke and thin mist meander around the mountain ridges, making the tea mountains look even fresher after the rain. After the picking ceremony, three or five tea pickers, with jingles around their waists, carrying baskets and bamboo baskets, giggle as they make an appointment to go to the tea mountain together.
Before picking tea, the eldest takes the lead to determine the maturity of the tea leaves and designate the picking area. The rest of the people then scatter quickly to pick the first spring buds. Although the Yao people pick tea quickly, they do it meticulously, just gently pinching the buds without damaging the appearance of the tea leaves. In the skilled hands of the Yao people, the aroma of the tea buds wafts through the mountains, and the other few tea pickers gather towards the fragrance, exchanging smiles.
After enduring the winter, each tea tree continues to accumulate its own aroma. When spring comes, they sprout with full vigor. Picking and making tea at this time, the tea aroma is fragrant, and the taste is smooth. Therefore, "spring tea" is favored by consumers for its inherent advantages. The buds sprouting from the tea trees are not just spring leaves but also the pursuit of a better life by the tea farmers.
Li Fali, a tea farmer from Bazi Village Committee of Mengxu Town, Malipo County, also rushed to pick tea after the rain. Her deft tea-picking skills since childhood enable her to pick tea leaves faster than many others. This year, her family's tea plants are growing exceptionally well, making Li Fali genuinely delighted. Smiling, she told the reporter, "Life is getting better and better, and the tea plants are growing better and better. I feel like life is becoming more promising."
"I'm now in the tea garden of Mengxu Town, Malipo County. The environment here is beautiful. If you like it, place your order now to taste the spring tea from Malipo." Many internet celebrities are live-streaming in the tea garden, and many people have already rushed to order the "spring tea." Tao Xu, the person in charge of the Tao Agge Planting and Breeding Professional Cooperative in Malipo County, is also promoting spring tea.
Tao Xu introduced to us, "Through the cooperative and farmer model, we connect the high-quality organic tea from Malipo with the market. By guiding farmers in weeding, pruning, fertilizing, and other controls, we adopt a unified planting, processing, and sales approach. We actively build online and offline sales platforms, streamline intermediaries, so that tea farmers don't worry about selling, and consumers can buy good tea, helping tea farmers increase production and income from spring tea."
It is understood that Mengxu Town has a mild climate and sufficient sunlight, which is very suitable for tea plant growth. The tea produced here is rich in honey aroma, sugarcane aroma, bean aroma, and other fragrances. As a microcosm of Malipo County relying on excellent natural conditions to vigorously develop the tea industry, in recent years, with the joint efforts of the county party committee, county government, and various parties, in 2023, the county had a tea garden area of 23,500 mu (about 3,900 acres), achieving a total tea output of 656.3 tons, driving more than 4,800 households to engage in the tea industry, with an average household income increase of 6,700 yuan.
Du Cen, president of the Wenshan Tea Circulation Association, said, "The ancient tree tea from Malipo has been included in the national gift list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, establishing a new positioning for the Malipo tea brand. The Wenshan Tea Circulation Association will continue to expand the brand awareness of Malipo tea, promote the construction of green tea gardens and organic tea gardens, improve tea quality, create featured products, build sales platforms, and help the high-quality development of the tea industry."
Brewing a pot of freshly made spring tea, savoring this fragrant sip, it contains the delicate feelings of the Yao people, the beautiful aspirations of tea farmers, and the unremitting efforts of tea merchants. This handful of spring tea truly embodies "sitting and drinking fragrant tea, cherishing this mountain."