Tea brews a way out of poverty for Yunnan farmers

Zhang Zhongrong from Lancang county, which is 300 kilometers away from the plantation, has worked at the plantation for more than a decade.

"My family was down to kitchen utensils and ragged mattress when we came here," he says.

But after years of training, Zhang and his wife now manage 20 mu of tea trees at the plantation.

"We've got everything here, all necessary home appliances," Zhang says.

Now, the village resembles a mass of green thanks to the tea trees. And the plantation can produce 60 kilograms per mu of land at the moment.

For the farmers who lived off the old tea trees, Zhang and his team have taught them how to scientifically manage their trees and produce premium tea.

"We asked them to refrain from applying fertilizer and pesticide," Zhang says.

Modern tea making methods were also taught to them to improve their output.