Leiyang Oil Tea

Leiyang Oil Tea

Leiyang Oil Tea is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Leiyang Oil Tea is a specialty of Leiyang City, Hengyang, Hunan Province. Leiyang ranks first in the province in both oil tea cultivation area and annual oil production, earning it the title "Oil Sea of Hunan."

　　Leiyang Oil Tea has a long history. As early as 1,800 years ago, the people of Leiyang began cultivating oil tea trees. The oil produced here has long been known for its pure quality, rich nutrition, and fragrant reputation around the world. In 1976, Hunan designated Leiyang as an oil tea commercial base county. In late August 1983, two experts from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) were sent specifically to Leiyang, China, to investigate its oil tea plantations. A year later, a UN-aided project named WFP—China 26962, aimed at transforming Leiyang’s oil tea forests, was officially launched. The project won the “Double Excellence Award for Renewal and Transformation” in Hunan Province, ranking first in the province. The successful implementation of this project significantly increased the yield and quality of Leiyang’s tea seed oil. Through years of reclamation, transformation, and renewal, Leiyang now has 1.2 million mu (approximately 80,000 hectares) of oil tea forests, with an annual production of over 4 million tons of tea oil. Both the area and production rank first in the country. Leiyang has been awarded the title of “Advanced City in Oil Tea Renewal and Transformation in the Province” twice by the Hunan Provincial Forestry Department. In 1996, it was recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Forestry, and the Ministry of Water Resources as an “Advanced Unit in the National Food Aid Project for Oil Tea.” In 2000, the city was named the “Hometown of Famous, Special, and High-Quality Economic Forest Oil Tea” by the State Forestry Administration.