On June 30, the Dream Fields · Agritourism Fangshan 2017: The Enchanting Agritourism Journey in Fangshan — The First Tea-Picking Festival was grandly held in Zhuanghutai Village, Xiayunling Township, Fangshan District. The event was jointly organized by the Fangshan District Agriculture Commission, the Fangshan District Planting Industry Service Center, and the Xiayunling Township Government, and hosted by the Zhuanghutai Village Committee, Beijing Fanshow Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd., Beijing Xiayunling Shanshui Tianyuan Yiren Food Technology Development Co., Ltd., Beijing Forestland Wild Vegetable Processing Factory, and FunHill Fangshan Agritourism Network.
Attending the event were Zhu Li, Deputy Director of the Beijing Promotion Station; Li Wenhai, Director of the Production and Sales Office of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture; Wei Shengli, Professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine; Jiao Yingyan, Deputy Director of the Fangshan District Agriculture Commission; Dong Shimin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the Fangshan District Science and Technology Association; Gu Shulian, Vice Chairwoman of the Fangshan District Women’s Federation; Xu Kai, Assistant Director of the Fangshan District Planting Center; and Yang Yehui, Head of Xiayunling Township, Fangshan District.
The Tea-Picking Festival mainly consisted of an opening ceremony, exhibition and promotion, and activity experiences. The program was rich and varied, featuring competitive tea-picking of Scutellaria baicalensis, tea bag making, visits to the Scutellaria tea processing workshop, bookmark crafting, and other visitor experience activities; as well as cultural and creative activities such as Scutellaria cultural science popularization and Scutellaria tea classes. The hosting of Fangshan District’s first Tea-Picking Festival promotes the development of the characteristic traditional Chinese medicine industry, with Scutellaria as the focus, helps more citizens learn about Scutellaria tea, allows more consumers to enjoy Scutellaria tea, and enables more farmers to increase their income and achieve prosperity.
Scutellaria is a perennial herb known for its effects in clearing heat and drying dampness, purging fire and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and eliminating heat to calm the fetus. It has a long cultivation history in Fangshan District. The district’s unique geographical location and favorable climate provide an ideal natural environment for Scutellaria cultivation. Since ancient times, the roots of Scutellaria have been used for medicinal purposes, while its stems and leaves have been made into tea, forming a traditional folk Scutellaria tea drink with a history of over two thousand years.
To promote faster and better development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry, with Scutellaria as the focus, the Fangshan District Planting Industry Service Center has successively promoted Scutellaria cultivation in 10 townships including Xiayunling, Shijiaying, and Puwa. Currently, the planting area of Scutellaria has reached over 8,000 mu. The district has also established good production and sales relationships with places such as Anguo in Hebei and Tianjin, achieving favorable economic benefits. Meanwhile, three Scutellaria tea processing factories have been supported for establishment to enhance the added value of Scutellaria, initially forming an integrated industrial chain of production, processing, sales, sightseeing, and picking. Scutellaria cultivation has gradually become a regional specialty industry in Fangshan District.
The ceremony is part of the 2017 “Enchanting Agritourism Journey in Fangshan” series of events. We will continue to launch a series of activities including the “Rice Transplanting Festival,” “Carrot Festival,” “Sweet Potato Festival,” and “Rice Cultivation Festival,” introducing Fangshan District’s farmland scenic spots and agritourism routes to the public, and showcasing the district’s eco-leisure agricultural parks. Dream Fields, Agritourism Fangshan — we warmly welcome all citizens to visit Fangshan.