A tea graden in Songyang county of Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Songyang county in Lishui, Zhejiang province, known as China's green tea distribution hub, is witnessing a technological transformation across its 153,200 mu (10,213.33 hectares) of tea plantations.

On March 19, Zhou Huiming, a young tea farmer who returned to Songyang county in 2015, used a DJI smart agriculture platform on his phone to monitor tea yield, growth, and pest warnings. A drone flying overhead helps detect issues early.

In 2024, Zhou achieved mechanized tea-picking with just 10 local workers for over 100 mu of tea gardens, significantly boosting efficiency. Mechanical harvesting has increased net income per garden more than 3.5-fold.

Tea farmers work in a tea garden in Songyang county of Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

At Lyumingfeng, a tea company in Xinxing town, Songyang county, smart technologies such as pest forecast lights, soil sensors, and an intelligent irrigation system are all being used.

The data is collected on a smart tea garden management platform, helping the company save about 150,000 yuan ($21,756.24) a year while improving resilience against droughts and pests.

The integration of technology is reshaping Songyang's tea industry, with total output value surpassing 2.29 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 2.82 percent.