Medicinal Plant Research 2026, Vol.16, No.1, 52-68 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 63 6 Integrated Development Pathways for the Hangbaiju Tea Beverage Industry 6.1 Integration of Agriculture, Culture, and Tourism The integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism is an important pathway for promoting the transformation and upgrading of the Hangbaiju industry and improving its overall benefits. Hangbaiju not only has economic value, but also contains rich historical, cultural, and ornamental value. Studies on agro-cultural-tourism integration and agritourism show that combining agricultural production, local culture, and leisure experiences can promote county-level sustainable development, optimize industrial structure, and stimulate consumption and investment vitality (Qiu et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2025). Therefore, relying on large-scale cultivation bases in major Hangbaiju producing areas such as Tongxiang, Zhejiang, distinctive agricultural landscapes themed around chrysanthemum culture can be created, integrating traditional agricultural production with cultural display and leisure tourism. During the flowering season, large areas of blooming chrysanthemum fields can form unique rural landscape resources, attracting tourists for sightseeing and injecting new vitality into local tourism development. In the process of agro-cultural-tourism integration, cultural theme parks, sightseeing bases, and characteristic towns centered on Hangbaiju culture can be developed, along with chrysanthemum viewing festivals, tea beverage experience activities, and traditional cultural exhibitions. Relevant case studies show that “agriculture as the foundation, culture as the core, and tourism as the engine” is an important logic for agro-cultural-tourism integration; that is, integrated industrial bases and differentiated products can be built by relying on characteristic agricultural products and cultural symbols (Bin, 2023; Qin et al., 2025). Studies related to the tea industry also indicate that tea culture tourism and tea garden tourism can promote industrial upgrading and form practical models such as “tea culture+basic tourism,” “tea culture+participatory experience,” “tea culture+health and wellness,” and “tea culture+knowledge-seeking study” (Zhang et al., 2022; Huali, 2023; Yang et al., 2025). Drawing on the experience of tea-tourism integration, the Hangbaiju industry can strengthen tourists’ understanding of its products and brands by showcasing cultivation history, processing techniques, tea beverage preparation, and wellness culture. In addition, digital technologies should be integrated with the cultural tourism industry. Short videos, livestreaming platforms, digital exhibition halls, and online interactive activities can be used to promote Hangbaiju culture and industrial characteristics, thereby expanding brand influence. Research has pointed out that building themed routes, experience-oriented tea gardens, and tea tourism brands, while strengthening publicity platforms, helps deepen integration in terms of functions, culture, talent, and branding (Yang et al., 2025). Therefore, Hangbaiju can develop an industrial model of “cultivation base+cultural experience + leisure tourism + product sales,” combining flower landscapes, tea beverage experiences, cultural and creative products, and souvenir sales to achieve coordinated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, promote rural economic growth, and increase farmers’ income. 6.2 Integration with the health and wellness industry With the deep implementation of the Healthy China strategy and the acceleration of population aging, the health and wellness industry has become a new economic growth point. As a medicinal and edible plant, Hangbaiju is associated with soothing and wellness-related qualities and is highly compatible with the development needs of the modern health and wellness industry. Studies on agritourism and tea tourism emphasize that health, ecology, and sustainability are important competitive advantages and consumption drivers of agritourism and tea culture tourism (Huali, 2023). Agritourism, by utilizing natural, organic, and ecological attributes, can not only meet people’s health needs but also help improve the “health” of rural settlements and ecological environments (Ciolac et al., 2019). Therefore, Hangbaiju tea beverage products can be deeply integrated with health management, wellness services, rehabilitation and healthcare, and ecological tourism, thereby expanding industrial development space. In terms of product development, a series of health and wellness tea beverages can be developed for different age groups and health needs. For example, wellness-oriented tea beverages can be launched for middle-aged and
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