Sri Lanka Tea broadens presence across China

Sri Lankan tea is performing exceptionally well in the Chinese market and has achieved a remarkable growth during the past two years surpassing 1 million kg. for the first time in 2008 that recorded 1.2 million kg. said Sri Lankan Ambassador Karunatilaka Amunugama while participating at the opening Ceremony of the Sri Lanka Tea houses (Chaguan), under the brand name Infini-Ti a special place for the Chinese to taste Sri Lankan unique flavour in Fujian and in Beijing.

As a measure of taking Sri Lanka Tea to a new height in China, he further said that Sri Lanka is trying to bring back Tea to China the homeland of tea, the unique Sri Lankan flavour in a Chinese approach through opening Sri Lanka Tea houses throughout China.

Launching of Sri Lanka Tea House in China

For Thousands of years people of China not only developed a special way of tea-drinking, but also developed an art form called tea-Ceremonies. This art form comprises many aspects. The most noticeable ones are the making of tea, the way of brewing, and the drinking utensils such as tea pot. The art of making tea is called "Cha dao", which was soon accepted as one of the most important cultures that even Japan learned from China.

As for the young generation, China's tea culture remains a glorious and precious traditional fortune and still appreciates it and cherishes it as a favourable culture.

The spirit of tea filters through Chinese culture, and throughout the country there are many kinds of teas, teahouses, tea legends, tea artifacts and tea customs. Better-known places to enjoy a good cup of tea in China include Beijing famous for its variety of teahouses; Fujian and Guangdong provinces and other places in the southeast of China that serve gongfu tea, a formal serving of tea in tiny cups; the West Lake in Hangzhou, also the home of the Tea Connoisseurs Association, noted for its excellent green tea; and provinces in southwest China like Yunnan where the ethnic groups less affected by foreign cultures retain tea ceremonies and customs in original tea-growing areas.

The Chinese people, in their drinking of tea, place much significance on the act of "savouring." "Savouring tea" is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also how people take delight in their reverie and in tea-drinking itself. Snatching a bit of leisure from a busy schedule, making a kettle of strong tea, securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustration, improve your thinking ability and inspire you with enthusiasm. It is this sensation that Sri Lanka is going to bring to Chinese people through opening up of Ceylon Tea Houses throughout China an awesome task that if successfully achieved would take Sri Lanka Black Tea to every corner of this enormous Country.

Tea house (Chaguan), a special place for the Chinese to have tea, is very popular in the Yangtze River area; it is mostly called tea house (Chalou) in provinces like Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, and is called tea pavilion (Chating) in Beijing and Tianjin of north China. Historically, there are some other names for it, such as Chaliao, Chafang, Chasi, Chashe, Chayuan, Chawu and Chashi. Although these names vary, the forms and contents are basically the same.

To the Chinese people, tea house, similar to the cafes in western countries, are social places where various kinds of social information are gathered and spread and where customers taste tea and talk about birds, news and daily things. In order to attract customers, stages are built in some tea houses to play tom-tom, Storytelling (Pingshu) and Beijing opera, making these tea houses amusement places.

The rise of Tea House is closely related with Chinese tea culture. After several thousand years of development, the Tea House has become a part of life for the Chinese people. Now, people who come to Beijing will be attracted to those famous tea houses to experience Chinese tea culture.

Ambassador Amunugama noted that Sri Lanka Tea commonly known as red tea (hong cha) is renowned for its high quality, has great potential to secure a bigger share in the China's huge RMB 80 billion tea market for its fine quality. He further stated that with innovative marketing strategies adopted by Sri Lanka with the constant support of Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Embassy in China Sri Lanka Tea is slowly but steadily building a reputation in China as exporter of the world's finest black teas, Ambassador noted.

Ambassador said that black Tea does not compete with different types of Chinese Tea and we concentrate in high end customers in China which has the fastest growing, largest middle class in the world happening together with the extraordinary economic growth. He reminded a Chinese Proverb 'small Tea leaf binds a strong bond between the nation and the smell of tea flown over boundaries.'

China Huicheng Investment Group an investment company has undertaken the task of taking HVA brand Ceylon tea throughout China by opening up of three Sri Lanka Tea houses in Fujian and Beijing with an aim of opening up 1000 outlets finally. It is being marketed as InfiniTi in China adhering to the traditional Chinese way of making a cup of tea, the way of brewing, and the drinking utensils such as tea pot thus bringing in the Unique Sri Lanka Tea closer to the Chinese people .

To date with the support of the Sri Lanka Embassy and Sri Lanka Tea board Sri Lanka Tea houses have come up in Dalian, Shanghai, Fujian Guanzhou, Jinann and in Beijing promoting Tea brands such as Heladiv (InfiniTi), Impra, Mabroc and Zesta (Watawala).

Rohan Fernando also spoke at this unique event that was attended by Ambassador Karunathilake Amunugama, Commercial Counsellor Alexi Gunasekera, and Huichen Group President and other dignitaries.