Jiange county in Guangyuan revitalized its neglected century-old tea gardens into a 4,100-mu (273.33-hectare) ecological tea park themed on Jianmen Pass (or Jianmenguan) and the ancient Shu Road, a vital trade route in ancient Sichuan.

The Jianmen Pass boast stretches of lush green tea plantations. [Photo/Guangyuan Daily]

It has yielded striking economic, social and ecological gains via East-West cooperation, sci-tech empowerment and tea-tourism integration.

Heralded as a tribute tea as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Jiange's tea industry faded over time due to poor management. In 2020, local enterprises took over the old gardens.

In 2021, Hangzhou's Shangcheng district and Jiange launched a joint industrial model, reviving the sector with stump pruning technology for aging tea trees. By 2025, Jiange's tea plantations spanned 8,600-mu, yielding 10.6 metric tons of dried tea annually and generating 32.6 million yuan ($4.56 million) in output value.

The park built Guangyuan's first tea science and technology park, integrating the Internet of Things, 5G and big data into garden management. Its smart model, featuring real-time monitoring and intelligent irrigation, won recognition as a national typical case of smart agriculture in 2025.

Utilizing the adjacent Jianmen Pass, a towering V-shaped mountain pass in Jiange county, the park combines tea culture with tourism, building workshops, research bases and homestays.

It hosted 10,080 student research visits in 2025, forging a holistic industrial chain that boosts local farmers' income and drives green rural vitalization.