Anxi College of Tea Science (College of Digital Economy), established under the strong support of Fujian Provincial Committee and Fujian Provincial Government, is a joint initiative by Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and Anxi County Government. Recognized as an exemplary model of university-local cooperation with public funding and private support in China's higher education sector, the college was founded in May 2012 with the appointment of Academician Chen Zongmao from the Chinese Academy of Engineering as its Honorary President. In May 2023, the partners deepened their collaboration by establishing the College of Digital Economy within the existing framework of Anxi College of Tea Science.
The college features industry-oriented programs, offering seven undergraduate majors: Tea Science, Digital Economy, Electronic Science and Technology, Network Engineering, Business Economics, Financial Management, and Big Data Management and Application. Its graduate education system comprises four master's programs (Tea Science, Technical Economics and Management, Agricultural Management, Optoelectronic Information Engineering) and a doctoral program in Tea Science as a secondary discipline. The current faculty body consists of 86 staff members, including 53 full-time teachers, among whom are 1 dual-appointed academician, 4 Minjiang Scholars Chair Professors, 3 Tongjiang Scholars Chair Professors, 6 talents recruited from Taiwan, 2 National Outstanding Tea Educators, and 5 Fujian Provincial Class-C Talents.
With its distinctive industry-education integration and science-education convergence approach, the college has earned multiple national and provincial accolades: Fujian's First Demonstration Industrial College, National First-Class Undergraduate Program in Tea Science, Second Prize in National Teaching Achievements, National First-Class Undergraduate Courses, National Planning Textbook designation, and National Practical Teaching Case recognition.
The college has developed specialized research platforms focusing on tea culture, industry, and technology. Nationally recognized facilities include the Anxi National Modern Agricultural Industrial Park Collaborative Innovation Center and the Key Laboratory of Oolong Tea Processing Technology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Provincial platforms encompass the Tea Industry Engineering Research Center, Tea Industry Technology Development Base, Tea Industry Standardization Technical Committee, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Tea Cultivation and Processing. Joint initiatives with Anxi County have established the Tea Industry Carbon Neutrality Research Institute, China Oolong Tea Research Institute, and Tea Ecological Hospital.
Research achievements include securing over 80 million RMB in funding from national programs (National Natural Science Foundation, National Social Science Foundation, National Key R&D Programs, and MOE Humanities-Social Sciences Projects), formulating 1 international standard, 3 national standards, and more than 10 local standards. The college has received 7 provincial scientific awards, notably the First Prize for Standardization Contributions and 3 Second Prizes for Scientific & Technological Progress. Faculty members have published over 100 high-quality papers, including 30+ articles in internationally authoritative journals, with 20+ policy recommendations adopted by provincial/national authorities.
