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Change in China’s Ti Quan Yin

October 14, 2012

China is changing. The withering of the state economy has effected the
teas produced and the method sold.  I remember on my first trip in
1996 visiting Anxi. The new market reforms were just starting to kick
in, but the Chinese Central government still was the major player. We
visited the Research Institute in Anxi and saw a few gardens. Then we
went off to the major factory in the center of the city. There, over a
thousand women in uniforms sat in rows and quietly separated tea from
their stems. From up high in the mezzanine, the repetition made for an
impressive sight and a memorable picture. However, our hosts would not
show  the way Ti Quan Yin was made. During those Socialistic times,
tea making was a state secret.  This is understandable, given the
enormity of the Robert Fortune’s theft. At that time, the only place
to buy Ti Quan Yin was from the government owned Fujian Import and
Export Animal Byproducts.

Ten years later, capitalism is evident and creating better teas than
ever. Individuals are free to do whatever part of the tea process they
want. They can sell to who ever they want. The Chinese are richer and
are interested in getting better teas. Government’s role is now to
encourage entrepreneurs. We met with Yang Bao Rong, General Manager of
Anxi Tea Industry at his offices in his new project: China Tea
Capital. This is a large group of buildings devoted to the marketing
of Ti Quan Yin. After a brief pot of tea, we descended from the calm
of his office to the chaos of capitalism. As we entered the market,
there were hundreds of Chinese men and women are lined up to sell you
their bag of Ti Quan Yin. Of course, they are convinced that their tea
is the best, and so they will shout at you the reasons why even if you
look like a foreigner. They pick up a few leaves and wave it at you.
Not allowing you to pass until you touch and smell them. To make it
down to the far end seemed impossible, and yet we still had to come
back. The unfortunate fact is that we would buy none of their teas.
The best Ti Quan Yins never made it to the market place, they are sold
beforehand.

This change to capitalism has made for better teas for us, and
prosperity for the Chinese.

Mike Harney

Michael Harney has been the tea buyer and blender of Harney & Sons for twenty years. He travels to Asia and meets with tea producers from all the major tea countries, looking for the season's best teas. A graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, he lives with his wife and their three sons in Salisbury, Connecticut.

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