If Confucius came back to life, what would he recognize in
modern China?
Not our houses and clothes, not the books we read (he never saw
paper in his life), not many of the characters we use, and not the
way we talk. But if he were to be given a reception in a Beijing
tea house, he would easily recognize the fragrance. Tea has not
changed.
Those tiny dry leaves in dark green and light brown date
reportedly back five millenniums, both as a healing drink (an
antidote) and a sacrificial item in religious rituals.
The Chinese character cha, meaning tea, was in the nation's
first dictionary Erya, compiled in the early Han Dynasty 2,100
years ago.
Tea is older than the name of China, but in the face of
modernization and competition from global giants like Starbucks,
can it survive?
This used to be a major concern in the 1990s. It was a time when
huge swarms appeared for the opening celebration of Beijing's first
Starbuck's coffee in 1999, while barely anyone showed up for the
opening of the city's first privately-owned Wufu Tea House.
"People laughed at us and said we were flushing money into the
toilet," Tan Bo, chief executive of Wufu, told China
Daily.
In fact, for the first two years, Wufu Tea House was running at
a loss subsidized by the proprietor's restaurant business. That was
a time when "local people used to drink jasmine tea with a big
bowl," Tan said. "They thought to price a cup of tea at 50 yuan
(US$6.10) was ridiculous."
But now Wufu has 12 outlets in Beijing, with a plan to open two
more in 2006. Elsewhere in Beijing, the number of tea houses
registered with the municipal market regulatory agency rose from
460 in 2003 to 570 in 2004. Tea is becoming increasingly popular
for middle-class homes and for conferencing and catering
services.
But certainly the most salient feature of the tea renaissance
this decade is being able to sip tea in a tea house.
"We are targeting the higher-income earners," Tan said. "They
are mostly above 30 with monthly income of more than 5,000 yuan
(US$616)."
It is in some ways like the fashion industry different kinds of
tea are in fashion in different years. For example, customers can
choose green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, white tea, Pu Erh or other
fruit blend tea. The tea ceremony, consisting of at least 18
procedures, is also a visual enjoyment for customers.
"Eastern culture makes more sense to middle-aged people, who
have been through the opening and reforming ages in modern China,"
Tan said. "Now they long for something under their skin."
The concept of health sells well among middle-class people who
develop an awareness of living a healthy life. Green tea, which has
been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years, is known
for reducing the risk of cancer, infection and impaired
immunity.
Drinking tea is very healthy, "making a tea house the perfect
place to go after a greasy dinner," she said. "It helps digestion
and there is no worry about putting on extra weight."
Second office
Liu Bingzhou, a property developer in his 40s, told China Daily
that each year he spends up to 50,000 yuan (more than US$6,000) on
his tea collection and, more importantly, visiting tea houses. Liu
is a frequenter of Wufu and holds its golden VIP card.
"I used to drink a lot of coffee and little tea," he recalled.
"That's about 10 years ago when China was just opening up and
anything from the West was in fashion."
Eight years ago, he said, he stopped drinking coffee after his
discovery of the tea house in 1998.
Liu explained: "The difference between coffee and tea is that
coffee makes me feel edgy but tea calms me down, although they both
have a refreshing effect."
Moreover, Liu said he was also attracted to the environment of
the tea house. "The quiet and soothing atmosphere here is good for
thinking, and for communicating with my business partners."
One of Wufu outlets on Fuchengmenwai street is Liu's favorite
place. Sitting in a 20,000 yuan (US$2,466) Chinese classic red wood
chair, he said he has made this his second office by showing up at
least twice a week.
"I make my big deals here," Liu said, sipping a cup of
Tieguanyin tea from Anxi County in East China's Fujian Province,
one of the top teas in China. "This place is very special for
me."
Business customers
"Beijingers treat their business partners in a restaurant with
Peking duck," Tan said. "Now they drink tea afterwards."
"Many business people in town drove to our tea house and waited
for a seat," Tan recalled. Since then, increasing numbers of new
tea houses in the capital have heated up the competition.
The key to success in the tea house business is how well you can
serve the middle-aged business community.
Eyeing growing business customers, even famous tea houses
followed suit. Among them was Laoshe Tea House, where Taiwan
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan visited when he made his
ice-breaking trip to Beijing in April 2005.
Located in Qianmen, the most prosperous commercial area of old
Beijing and neighbouring Tian'anmen Square, Laoshe Tea House is
famous for its old-Beijing taste and is a must see for tourists
since it was founded in 1988.
At Laoshe, visitors can watch traditional Chinese performances,
drink jasmine tea from a teacup with a lid, and enjoy traditional
Beijing-style snacks and delicacies.
Clearly, tea at Laoshe is not the only element. "No stage no
Laoshe," said Yin Zhijun, who inherited it from her father Yin
Shengxi, who is renowned for his efforts to protect the Beijing
folk culture.
In 1990s, Yin junior worked in the Beijing Hotel before
grudgingly joining her family business.
"When working as a waitress at Laoshe, I saw the value of
traditional Chinese folk art through the eyes of our foreign
guests," Yin said. "They were constantly surprised, and applauded
non-stop."
Knowing that the stage appeals mainly to tourists, this year,
Laoshe Tea House redecorated its second floor in the style of a
traditional Beijing courtyard so as to attract more business
customers. Each room costs 90 yuan (US$11) per hour and 10 yuan
(US$1.2) each guest.
"There is a big demand for the business style tea house," Yin
said. Laoshe's customers are government officials, diplomats and
company mangers in Beijing.
"When they have friends visiting from abroad or other parts of
China who want to see real Beijing, they bring them here," Yin
said, "not only to watch our show, but also to talk about
business."
Annual output of the tea house industry across the country
reached nearly 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) last year and
nationwide there are more than 50,000 tea houses, mainly in cities
such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu. With this level of
demand for tea houses, what price all the tea in China?
(China Daily February 3, 2006)
