The Dayuling Tea Plantation reaches an altitude of 2,650 meters, making it the highest artificially managed tea plantation in the world. Aside from wild tea trees found in southwestern China, the Dayuling Tea Plantation holds the record as the highest-altitude tea plantation globally.
The Origins of the World's Highest Tea Plantation
Dayuling tea production began only in the 1980s when a farmer started growing tea on a small scale in the region. Initially, the survival rate of tea plants was very low, and many advised him to abandon the effort. However, through continuous experimentation with new cultivation techniques and protection against cold temperatures, he eventually succeeded. After several years of dedication, tea plants thrived at an altitude of 2,500 meters, setting a record for the highest-altitude artificially managed tea plantation in the world.
The first tea plantation was established at around 2,500 meters. As news spread of the successful cultivation of tea at such high altitudes and the growing market demand for Dayuling tea, more farmers joined in expanding tea plantations. Near the original Dayuling Tea Plantation, another farmer extended his tea fields to an altitude of 2,650 meters, marking the highest officially recorded tea plantation in Dayuling—and indeed, the highest tea plantation in the world. Below is a photograph of the 2,650-meter tea plantation.
Unfortunately, in 2014 and 2015, the Taiwanese government removed most of the Dayuling tea plantations for environmental protection reasons. As a result, tea plantations above 2,500 meters were largely eliminated. Today, the highest Dayuling Tea Plantation has been reduced to an altitude of 2,560 meters. However, it remains the highest artificially managed tea plantation in the world.