Profitable times for the tea farmers of Longjing village

How times have changed for the tea farmers of Longjing village, Hangzhou . Where once their incomes were controlled under the planned economy, they are now said to be sitting on a gold mine thanks to the popularity of the Longjing tea for which their home is famous.

Just before the Ching Ming festival in early April, when the freshest leaves were picked, 1kg of the tea, known for its pleasing green colour, rich fragrance and mellow taste, fetched as much as 5,600 yuan. At these rates, the farmers of Longjing can expect to earn far more than their counterparts in other parts of the country.

Li Xiaoping , 49, lives with her husband Shui Huamin and daughter Shui Jing in a new two-storey house at one end of the village's main thoroughfare. The family earns as much as 50,000 yuan a year from their 2,600 square metre tea plantation. While that is still about 10 times less than what the village's biggest earner brings in, Ms Li says she is content with her life.

'Life is much better than three decades ago. Under collective ownership in the 1970s, we villagers ate from the same pot - got the same reward as everyone else regardless of our performance at work,' she said.

'The village party secretary's relatives worked less and earned more than their fair share. We worked hard and received just over 100 yuan a year. Life has changed so much.'

After the mainland launched the opening-up policy in 1982, land-use rights in the village were transferred to 300 households under 30-year contracts. The farmers now handle production and keep their earnings.

In 1985, the Hangzhou government added Longjing village to a list of 10 top tourist sites in recognition of its namesake tea. Helped by that bit of publicity and the short trip from central Hangzhou, business has been good.