On the afternoon of August 3, the Inaugural Meeting of Xihu District for the Tea Farmer Association of West Lake Longjing Tea was held; 168 tea farmers voluntarily formed an association, and were devoted to brand protection and industry development of West Lake Longjing Tea. Gao Guofei (Secretary of District Committee) was present and made a speech. District leaders including Zhang Yueding, Chai Wenle and Fang Hongqing as well as related leaders of Hangzhou City were present.

Gao Guofei pointed out that West Lake Longjing Tea was a “name card” of Hangzhou. Xihu District is the source area and main producing area of West Lake Longjing Tea, and has made great efforts in supporting the development of tea industry, constructing a characteristic industry system, and recommending the brand of West Lake Longjing Tea. In June 2021, the central government entrusted Zhejiang a historical mission of building a demonstration area of common prosperity, so it is a great task to express the advantages of West Lake Longjing Tea industry, convert the brand value into economic benefit, and realize the target vision of promoting common prosperity with tea industry. The founding of the tea farmer association is a great and good event in the development history of West Lake Longjing Tea industry, and has important significance for strengthening West Lake Longjing Tea industry and promoting the income of tea farmers.

Gao Guofei emphasized that rural area is the important point and farmer is the key point to create a good district of common prosperity. He hoped that the Tea Farmer Association of West Lake Longjing Tea founded could positively explore, take actions actively, and focus on the following five aspects. First, it should seriously fulfill their duties, and build a “new team” well. They must bear the responsibility, be united as one, closely center on the overall objective of association development, quality increase of industry, and income increase of farmers, and play a role as an association. Second, it should optimize the services, and build a “friendship bridge” for tea farmers. It should always stick to the service attribute, win trust and support from tea farmers with professional, high-quality and efficient services, become a link between tea farmers and the government, and build a “friendship bridge” for tea farmers. Third, it should strengthen cooperation, and “achieve prosperity” with digital technology. It must express the brand advantage of West Lake Longjing Tea and the advantage of Taobao, utilize digital resources like “Ali auction platform”, throw itself into digital reform of tea industry development, and comprehensively energize comprehensive brand protection and quality upgrading. Fourth, it should make the industry big, and continue to polish the “name card”. It must cherish the good foundation of tea industry, strengthen the advantage, increase the development quality, magnify the economic benefit, and make tea industry of Xihu District stronger and better. Fifth, it should tell a good story, and vigorously carry forward “tea industry”. It must deeply study the historical origin, cultural deposits and development tendency of West Lake Longjing Tea, excavate the tea processing technology, tea culture and tea spirit, try to tell a good story about tea, and generalize the tea life.

Gao Guofei emphasized that the district committee and district government would continuously care about, support, serve and ensure the development of the Tea Farmer Association, timely listen to and positively adopt opinions and suggestions from the association, help to solve various problems at the district level, increase the supporting force in capital investment and farmer-benefiting policies, and promote high-quality development of West Lake Longjing Tea industry.

At the meeting site, the Tea Farmer Association of West Lake Longjing Tea signed a cooperation framework agreement with Ali Auction, and both parties would cooperate to build the Trading Center of West Lake Longjing Tea.