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HANGZHOU, Aug. 16-- Jia Wei, a second-generation tea cultivator, struggled for the right words to express his thoughts as he walked in an 800-hectare plantation in Huangdu Village and espied the beauty of green mountains. "White tea has high climatic and geographical requirements, and as its source of origin, our region is ecologically advantaged," said a visibly emotional Jia. The 35-year-old followed his father's advice and took over the family tea cultivation area in 2013 after working outside his hometown for several years since college graduation. He has since injected new vigor and vitality into the business. Located in Anji County of east China's Zhejiang Province, Huangdu used to be one of the most impoverished villages in the county during the 1990s, when the region's annual per capita income was below 1,000 yuan (about 144 U.S. dollars). Jia recalled that when he was a child, his parents often told him to study hard, get good scores and never return to the poor village. For years, the local government had been striving to strike a balance between environmental protection and economic growth. Hard work paid off. Tea plantation has bulged the wallets of local villagers and Huangdu is dubbed "No. 1 white tea village of China." Some 1,000 Huangdu villagers own more than 400 cars, and each earns about 49,000 yuan annually on average. Jia's family, as one of the first group of local white tea planters, has been getting better off by engaging in this thriving industry. | 
