Changning Tea Oil

Changning Tea Oil

Changning Tea Oil is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Changning Tea Oil is a specialty of Changning City, Hengyang, Hunan Province. With a long history of cultivation, unique geographical conditions, and cultural influences, Changning tea oil is known for its rich nutrition, bright yellow color, pure quality, fragrant aroma, and dual use as both food and medicine. It enjoys a reputation both domestically and internationally.

　　Changning City has a long history of cultivating oil tea and has long been famous nationwide for producing high-quality, natural tea oil. The culture of oil tea cultivation and tea oil consumption has deep historical roots, earning the city the reputation of a "natural oil depot." After the liberation, the oil tea industry in Changning received government attention, leading to rapid development in oil tea cultivation. Oil tea forests became the most important economic forests in the city. The growth of the oil tea industry also spurred the development of oil mills. According to surveys, in the early 1990s, there were 2,113 manual oil mills across the city, spread throughout every township and village, and the sound of oil pressing—"dong, dong"—could be heard in every rural area. Changning became an oil tea production base in Hunan Province, and the oil tea industry experienced leapfrog development. Oil tea was planted in every township, covering an area of over 788,000 mu, making it the dominant industry in the local economy and living up to its title as a true "natural oil depot."

　　In recent years, riding the wave of the national push to develop the oil tea industry, Changning City has placed high importance on the development of the oil tea sector. With the goal of becoming China’s top oil tea city, the city has adhered to a model of government guidance, market orientation, social participation, and a combination of new plantings and low-yield forest renovation. Over ten large-scale oil tea development enterprises have been introduced, including Hunan Jiangshan Ecology, Xishi Ecology, Mingtian Technology, and Hunan Dasanxiang. The pace of base construction has significantly accelerated. The entry of COFCO Group to establish an oil tea research and development center and deep processing facility in the city has led to remarkable achievements in the oil tea industry. To date, the city has newly planted 150,000 mu of high-yield oil tea forests and renovated over 250,000 mu of existing oil tea forests. Oil tea production has reached 5,000 tons, with an annual output value exceeding 500 million yuan. A comprehensive oil tea industry chain has essentially taken shape, integrating seedlings, bases, processing, technology, tourism, and culture.