Pingjiang Oil Tea

Pingjiang Oil Tea

　　Pingjiang Oil Tea

　　Oil tea is a distinctive local resource of Pingjiang with a long history of cultivation. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it became one of the four major specialties of Pingjiang.

　　Oil tea is a subtropical tree species that is highly dependent on natural and regional conditions. Pingjiang is located in the transitional zone between central and northern subtropical regions, featuring a mountainous and hilly landscape, with forested areas accounting for 40%. The mountain slopes are gentle, the land is fertile, and the soil pH is suitable for oil tea growth. The region’s unique geographical environment and climate have fostered a longstanding tradition of oil tea cultivation among the people of Pingjiang. As recorded in the 1942 “Economic Overview of Pingjiang,” the county produced “30,000 dan of tea oil.” Today, Pingjiang is one of China’s 34 key oil-producing counties, with over 800,000 mu of oil tea cultivation area, earning it the reputation of being an “oil sea.”