Tanyang Brews a Fresh Future with New Tea Business

A rich, malty aroma of black tea wafts from a milk tea shop at the entrance of Tanyang Village in Fujian Province, South China — the signature scent of Tanyang Gongfu tea. Inside, young customers raise their cups, snap photos, and toast with friends, enjoying a modern twist on tea plant in Tanyang.

This popular milk tea shop, named “Meet Tanyang”, has become a favorite among tourists. Today, it is just one of many emerging tea-related businesses in Tanyang — from tea-themed cafés and tea workshops to tea culture experience centers. A quiet yet vibrant wave of tea-tourism integration is unfolding across this mountain village.

“That scent is the hallmark of Tanyang Gongfu tea,” said Chen Xiangxue, who runs “Meet Tanyang” with her husband, Wu Hanxi, a college graduate who returned to his hometown to launch the venture. With years of experience in the beverage industry, the couple decided to promote Tanyang Gongfu tea and make it better known and appreciated by more people.

Today, “Meet Tanyang” has developed over 20 types of modern tea-based products — including milk tea, tea-flavored pastries, tea-infused beer, and black tea ice cream  — all made with Tanyang Gongfu tea.

According to her, ‘Meet Tanyang’ has already adopted factory-level standardization, with precise control over ingredients, brewing time, water temperature, and sugar levels — all aimed at ensuring consistent quality. The team is also actively developing new products to expand their offerings.

One of Chen’s most distinctive creations is tea-infused beer, a signature product made using three types of Tanyang Gongfu tea, each crafted through different techniques. Through a unique brewing craft, the drink blends the aroma of tea with the flavor of beer — all without alcohol — creating a one-of-a-kind beverage.

Beyond the vitality brought by young entrepreneurs, Tanyang’s transformation is also fueled by joint efforts of enterprises and governments.At the Time Café, a tea-and-coffee fusion space, staff explained that this café was jointly set up by the Ningde Cultural Tourism Development Group and the local government.

Li said Tanyang Village adopts a “village built, enterprise run” model, with the village handling infrastructure and enterprises managing operations. This approach consolidates scattered resources under professional management, creating a win-win for the village, residents, and businesses.

From a single tea to drinks, from a storefront to an entire supply chain, Tanyang is shifting its focus from a purely agricultural economy toward a diversified industry model, featuring the integration of tea, tourism, and culture.

By leveraging its deep cultural heritage and natural resources,  Tanyang has introduced nearly ten new businesses, including tea houses, milk tea shops, and heritage craft studios, all aimed at enhancing the visitor experience and supporting the tea cultural tourism economy.

“We hope that our brand can help in the development of the village,” Chen said. “As we scale up, we plan to deepen cooperation with local tea farmers, working together to refine cultivation standards and upgrade processing techniques, raising the  popularity of Tanyang to a new high.”

Tanyang has integrated tea culture with tourism through events, including heritage exhibitions and study camps, enhancing the brand value of Tanyang Gongfu tea and driving high-quality industry upgrades. In 2024, the village recorded a per capita disposable income of 36,126 yuan（USD 5,035）and collective revenue of 2.14 million yuan.

In recent years, Tanyang has focused on integrating tea culture with tourism while piloting an operation model which includes the whole village. Over 70 percent of local residents work in the tea industry, and the surrounding villages share geographic, cultural, and industrial ties that offer strong complementarities.

To leverage these synergies, the government established the “Greater Tanyang” zone — a rural revitalization alliance linking Tanyang with other six nearby villages under a “1+N” model. Through coordinated governance, cross-village collaboration, and government-enterprise partnerships, the region aims to develop a distinctive rural revitalization model for eastern Fujian and explore new pathways to shared prosperity.