The government of Luzhou city, Sichuan province, held a media conference in Beijing on Thursday to promote the early spring tea of Naxi district, with traditional performances and a tea ceremony.

The early spring tea of Naxi is picked before the Lunar New Year's Eve. As the tea trees sprout early, there are no rare plant diseases or insect pests because of the cold weather, meaning there is no need to use pesticide.

Luzhou's deputy mayor Li Zhiyu said that the tea of Naxi started as a tribute to the imperial family as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907), according to historical records.

He said as the Sichuan provincial government is ambitious to expand its tea industry, Naxi district has seized the opportunity to boost the development of its organic spring tea industry, based on good quality, branding and yield.

According to Yuan Weirong, head of Naxi district, they've strengthened cooperation with academic organisations such as the Tea Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, to establish tea plantation bases and standards for the local spring tea, based on the traditional tea making techniques.

They've also built some local tea brands and a large tea trade market, combined with the tourism industry to provide a tea picking experience for tourists.