A tapestry of achievement: from wado to Ese Tea (I)

By:China Tibet Online
update:November 27,2017

Nov. 27, 2017 -- Editor's note: The Sichuan-Tibet Plateau, a beautiful region that reaches toward the heavens, is a place showered with blue skies, covered in white clouds, and dotted with snow-covered mountains, but recently, something truly remarkable has been materializing among the households that call this place home. A groundbreaking historic change has been reshaping the land and its people. From today on, we will publish a series of stories to tell you those changes.

It is early July 2016, and Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is welcoming in the best season of the year. Along the 303 and moving north into Luhuo County, saplings can be seen everywhere, catching the eyes of all who pass by. The locals refer to the plants as wado, the scientific name being Malus toringoides, a plant that only lives between 3,000 and 3,600 meters (9,842.5 to 11,811 feet) above sea level. Not long before, people used to view it as a wild tree, but today, with the Jinjiang District support team lending a helping hand in the area, the wado is being grown to make "Ese Snowland Tea", which is now sold on the streets of Chengdu and has over 500 shops offering it to customers.

This has gradually caused over 2,000 Tibetan households in Khampa to change their lives for the better.

The tea is organic and made from wado leaves and stems after they have undergone both traditional and modern processing. It is believed to reduce blood pressure, regulate blood flow, and reduce cholesterol. The plant has a fresh and lively color, being slightly curved in appearance. The flavor is long-lasting, and with its large concentration of flavonoids, it is known as the "caterpillar fungus of teas".

The Chinese version of this story is written by Zhong Xianni and translated into English by Huang Wenjuan. And the story is sourced from the United Front Work Deparment of the Communist Party of China (CPC)Sichuan Provincial Committee.

Editor: Ana Wu