Workers process tea leaves in a workshop in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture in Yunnan.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"It was hard work," he says. "But it's totally worth it, knowing my tea production wouldn't be affected much."

Yunnan is a major tea base nationally, and about 6 million people in the province work in the sector. But the epidemic has gripped harvesting, production and sales.

The spring production usually accounts for a third of the province's annual production, the Yunnan Tea Marketing Association reports.

Picking usually starts in March and lasts until May.

Governments at various levels have arranged for officers to go door to door and ask about each farmer's needs to minimize losses.

Online promotions have boosted sales.

Tea has helped rural residents overcome poverty in recent years.

Li sold 320 kilograms of tea for more than 3 million yuan ($424,000) in 2019, including 200 kilograms for 2 million yuan during the spring. Li's tea trees are 500 years old on average, and prices for premium leaves from these trees have risen dramatically over the years.

He and his family had lived hand to mouth before 2006.

"We lived in a thatched cottage and could barely afford to eat meat once a month," Li says.

Things changed when Kunming Colorful Yunnan King-Shine Tea Industry Co moved into the area.