On May 21, International Tea Day, the Yichang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released data showing that Yichang’s tea plantation area has reached 1 million mu (over 66,600 hectares), with an annual output of 130,000 metric tons and an agricultural output value of 7.19 billion yuan, ranking second in Hubei Province across all three indicators. Yichang is focusing on three major segments: premium tea, industrial-use tea and export tea, with the Yichang Tea Group as the industry leader. In 2025, the group achieved sales revenue of 1.357 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 40.2%, securing its position in the top tier of China’s tea industry. By deepening scientific and technological collaboration, the city has bred six nationally approved varieties and established 500,000 mu (over 33,300 hectares) of high-standard tea gardens, steering the tea industry toward industrialization, standardization, food-productdevelopment, and internationalization. (Sanxia Daily: Reporter/Jie Xingwei, Correspondent/Tian Dan)