History of CHINATEA

On December 16th, 1938, a company aiming to revive the nation through industry and obtain foreign exchange by exporting tea to support the war effort was established at No. 208 Weiyuan Street, Kunming, Yunnan. It was the Yunnan CHINATEA Trade Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of Yunnan CHINATEA Co., Ltd., hereinafter referred to as the Company). It was also the year when the National Southwestern Associated University was established in Kunming.

The establishment of Yunnan CHINATEA Trade Co., Ltd. can be traced back to the summer of 1938. At that time, the War of Resistance Against Japan had fully broken out in China, and most of the coastal tea-producing areas in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui were largely occupied by the enemy. The economic department of the then National Government urgently needed to seek new tea-producing areas to strengthen international tea trade, expand sales to the UK and the Soviet Union, and obtain foreign exchange to support the war effort. In September of the same year, the CHINATEA Company under the Industrial Department of the National Government dispatched commissioners Zheng Hechun and technician Feng Shaojiu to Yunnan for inspection. They collected fresh leaves and made samples in Yiliang and Shunning (now Fengqing). After a 50-day inspection, they recognizing the excellent quality of tea in western Yunnan and its significant potential for development with improved production methods. Subsequently, the CHINATEA Company and the then Yunnan Economic Committee agreed to jointly invest and establish the "Yunnan CHINATEA Trade Co., Ltd.", with Zheng Hechun as the company manager.

In January 1939, the company appointed Feng Shaojiu as the factory director and sent him to Shunning to establish the Shunning Tea Experiment Factory (now Fengqing Tea Factory). In March, Feng Shaojiu arrived in Shunning and purchased land near Gushan Bridge outside the eastern city with 4,750 yuan in national currency to build the factory. He also set up two temporary tea-making sites in Qingshuihe and Anshi. The planned scale of the Shunning Tea Factory was an annual production of 5,000 boxes of black tea, mainly through machine production with manual work as a supplement. Equipment such as two hot air dryers, one heating furnace, eight iron and wooden rolling machines, two 20HP diesel engines, and other supporting equipment were purchased. At that time, the tea factory had a daily production capacity of 25-30 dan (1 dan = 50 kg) of fresh tea leaves, adopting a method of construction and production simultaneously. That year, they successfully produced 348 dan of Gongfu black tea, named "Yunhong" and then sold to the Fulevel Company in Hong Kong under the Trade Commission of the Ministry of Finance of the National Government. The tea was then transshipped to London, and its exceptional quality received positive feedback from tea tasters in the London market.

In April 1939, the company appointed Fan Hejun as the factory director of the Fohai Tea Experiment Factory (now Menghai Tea Factory). The factory site was chosen on Boai Road, where the county seat was located. However, as Fohai was a remote border area with difficult transportation and an underdeveloped socioeconomic environment at that time, it was not until 1940 that the factory was constructed. In 1941, the first year after the establishment of the Fohai Tea Experiment Factory, a total of 93 dan of black tea and 39 dan of green tea were produced. Additionally, 400 dan of Qiaoxiao round tea were custom-made for Yiwu Tongchang, and 548 dan of loose Pu’er tea were ordered for Kunming Fuxing Tea Factory. Furthermore, 1000 dan of compressed tea were produced for the benefit of society.

In October 1939, the company established the Fuxing Tea Factory (now Kunming Tea Factory) at No. 278 Jinbi Road in Kunming, with Tong Yiyun as the factory director. Its main task was to process the famous Fuxing tuan tea using Mengku and Fengshan tea as raw materials, while also blending tea and being responsible for selecting, sorting, and storing the company's tea leaves.

In 1941, after negotiations with the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission represented by Ge Sangze, a joint investment of 150,000 yuan each was made to establish the Kangzang Tea Factory (now Xiaguan Tea Factory) in Xiaguan. Zhou Dongbai was appointed as the factory director, and in 1942, Qi Zengpeitook over the role. The factory mainly produced compressed tea cakes for sale in Tibet and processed tuan tea for sale in Sichuan.

The establishment of Yunnan CHINATEA Trade Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary tea factories propelled Yunnan's tea production and processing from traditional small-scale workshops to mechanized production and processing. This marked a revolutionary change in Yunnan's tea production and processing, enabling Yunnan tea to step onto the global stage.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese economy was in a state of disarray. To support domestic economic construction, the Yunnan branch of CHINATEA Company dedicated to developing tea production and exporting. Between 1950 and 1990, it supplied a total of 3.2266 million dan of tea to border trade companies of which 1.0476 million loads were for self-export, generating 212 million US dollars in foreign exchange.

In addition to obtaining foreign exchange to support the country's economic development, Yunnan CHINATEA Company also participated in and supported tea production. Most of tea-producing areas in Yunnan were located in ethnic minority regions with relatively underdeveloped economies, cultures, and transportation. Yunnan CHINATEA Company provided technical assistance and material supply to fully develop those areas.

In 1986-1988 and 1990, Yunnan CHINATEA Company undertook interest subsidies of around 10 million yuan annually for the construction of black tea primary processing plants with agricultural loans, additionally with all kinds of other allowance.

From 1958 to 1990, Yunnan CHINATEA Company jointly organized 19 short-term technical training sessions for tea personnel with relevant units, with 1,597 participants.

Yunnan CHINATEA Company has made many remarkable achievements, but the most noteworthy was the successful ripe tea fermentation experiment in 1973, which marked a revolutionary turning point in the development of Yunnan's tea industry. Prior to this, the natural fermentation process for Pu'er tea took decades, but Yunnan CHINATEA Company's ripe tea fermentation technology enabled rapid aging of Pu'er tea, significantly reducing the production cycle and leading to a new era of Pu'er tea development.

After the successful ripe Pu'er tea pile-fermentation experiment at the Kunming Tea Factory, this new tea processing technology was promoted throughout Yunnan. In other technical areas, the company also invented low-temperature drying and tea awakening, making significant contributions to improving the quality of Yunnan tea.

During the planned economy era, Yunnan CHINATEA Company was responsible for the unified purchase and sale of tea leaves, providing economic, technical, and material assistance to tea-producing areas and subsidiary tea factories, playing an essential role in promoting the development of Yunnan tea.

In addition to fulfilling its responsibilities during that era and supporting tea production in tea-producing areas, Yunnan CHINATEA Company also produced a series of iconic products such as Red Stamp, Blue Stamp and "8858 Green" , leaving an unforgettable taste experience for consumers.

Behind these industry-leading products lies the ingenuity of CHINATEA people and the corporate culture passed down by the predecessors of Yunnan CHINATEA Company through their hard work. Over the past 80 years, Yunnan CHINATEA Company has overcome various challenges and created numerous miracles for the development of Yunnan tea.

Since the 1980s, CHINATEA products have been used as national gifts to various countries' leaders, promoting Chinese tea culture and benefiting people worldwide. In 1986, CHINATEA products were gifted to Queen Elizabeth II. In 2007, they were gifted to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2014, CHINATEA products were the official designated product for the APEC Summit, served to world leaders. In 2017, CHINATEA products became the official designated product for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, once again gaining global acclaim. In the same year, CHINATEA products were the official souvenir gifts for the Xiamen BRICS Summit, presented to people all over the world. On June 9th, 2018, CHINATEA's Banzhang Ripe Pu'er Tea was again the designated tea for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit. From November 5th to 10th of the same year, at the First China International Import Expo in Shanghai, CHINATEA's Banzhang Ripe Tea and Banzhang Raw Tea were again designated as the official products, representing China’s hospitality to the world.