Mountainous Guizhou Province, the global matcha powerhouse in southwest China, is advancing its endeavor in quadrupling the production and sales volume of the powdered green tea to 10,000 tons by 2030.
Guizhou produced and sold 2,500 tons of matcha in 2025, ranking first in China, with its tea products being exported to 54 other countries and regions.
Jiangkou County, located at the foot of Guizhou's UNESCO-listed Fanjing Mountain, was once a poverty-stricken area, but is now a pioneer in the field of matcha production. This turnaround began in 2017, when Gui Tea Group introduced cutting-edge industrial technology to this area.
As more orders came to Gui Tea Group, the company needed more farmers to supply the tea leaves. That's when local villager Chen Jiqiao got a call.
"I was working on a construction site, and I got this call," Chen recalled.
A local official and the enterprise provided a contract, which guaranteed purchases as long as his leaves met the standard.
Within two years from 2024, he had become the top matcha grower in his village, with his income growing fast.
Officials in Jiangkou County like Liu Sha are trying to engage more farmers into the business, which has put more real money into people's pockets.
"With matcha, you can harvest all five mu (one-third of a hectare) your land. At four yuan per half kilo, that's over 10,000 yuan a year," she said to a villager.
"At this stage, you could say that matcha has changed the fate of tea farmers in our region," Liu said.
Local authority said matcha has boosted incomes for more than 110,000 tea farmers and workers in the region.
Chen's daughters used to see him only twice a year when he was a migrant worker working away.
Now, the kids can pester him to take them out to play whenever they like.
"Being with my family is far better than working away. The children feel more secure," Chen said.
Global matcha powerhouse in southwest China's Guizhou aims to quadruple production
