Chen Changdao: The king of tea

If you are looking to buy tea, tea sets, pottery, teapots or other tea paraphernalia in Beijing, the best place to go is the China Tea King store in central Xuanwu district. The store is one of 75 belonging to China's largest tea retail chain. Three stories of the four-story department store sell about 500 different kinds of tea in eight categories and countless teacups, teapots and other tea accessories. The fourth floor of the building is reserved for electronics.

When you enter the store, you cannot but be struck by the seemingly endless selection of teas and tea sets and related paraphernalia all arranged in meticulous rows. As soon as you stop to look at something, one of the many shop assistants tending to the goods emerges behind you, ready to talk business. If you're looking to buy tea, you can sample them on the spot in one of the numerous tea tasting points. Here, the shop assistants boil water and brew you a cup of fresh tea quicker than you can say oolong. The tea is daintily sipped from Cantonese-style tiny porcelain cups.

In addition to tea, the store sells beautiful glass, porcelain and earthenware tea sets in all colors, shapes and sizes. If your plan is to go all out and have a very elaborate tea ceremony, China Tea King also sells specially shaped stone trays or slabs, which you can place on a table to help set off your tea ware and tea pouring skills. In short, if you can't find the whatever tea-related thing you came here looking for, you probably don't need it. And not only is the selection in the store abundant, by Western standards, the prices are also, to put it modestly, reasonable.

All-time favorite

A shop assistant serves tea to customers. (Image: Radio86)In China, tea is considered a health promoting beverage, which is why it retains its popularity from year to year and from one generation to the next. Different varieties of tea are drunk depending on their peak harvesting seasons.

The teas produced in China can be generally divided into eight categories including red, white, oolong, jasmin, pu'erh, green, as well as two variations of black tea. Some of the most precious and sensitive tea varieties sold at the China Tea King are stored in refrigerators to ensure optimal conditions.

Chen Changdao, co-owner of the China Tea King chain, says that in the springtime, green tea usually sells the most. In the autumn, oolong tea is the top seller, and in the summer, jasmin.

Despite China's rapid westenization, coffee has not been able to conquer the hearts, or taste buds, of the Chinese to the point that it would threaten to overtake tea as the most popular brewed drink. According to Chen, children are initiated to the custom of drinking tea from an early age and that, coupled with tea's numerous health benefits and refreshing taste, suffices to maintain a steady number of tea drinkers in the country.

Local variation

China Tea King is China's largest tea retailer. (Image: Radio86)Tea-drinking is an important social activity in China. When a person receives guests, he or she usually always brews a pot of tea to offer to the visitor. It is considered a courtesy to offer a cup of tea, and this custom is still being kept alive by people of all ages and walks of life.

Although tea is incontestably the favorite drink of almost all Chinese, the manner of consuming it varies from region to region. In the north, tea is usually served in a ceramic or glass cup which holds about 100 ml of tea, whereas in the Cantonese-speaking parts of China tea is often served in a very, very tiny cup, one sip at a time.

By looking at his sales statistics Chen can also discern a slight difference in the tea preferences of the nation's northern and southern populations: fragrant jasmin and green tea are the favorites in the north, whereas pu-erh is the top seller in the south. In general though, all varieties are equally popular.

Not only is domestic demand for Chinese tea growing, other countries are also rapidly developing a taste for China's high-quality teas. In the last few years, Chen has noticed a significant rise in the number of foreigners visiting his store and in the quantities they buy. Chen also aims to ride this wave of popularity.

Currently, China Tea King has tea agents selling its products in several countries around the world, including Switzerland, Israel, France, Russia, South Korea, Japan, US, Canada and Argentina, Chen says. But he is not about to stop there. Last year, China Tea King's sales reached 200 million yuan (about 20 million euros) and the prospects for growth are good, judging by the CEO's ambitious plans to expand his kingdom in China as well as abroad.

At the China Tea King, you can find everything related to tea. (Image: Radio86)About one third of the tea sold by China Tea King comes from Chen's family plantation in Fujian. Most of the earthenware comes from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The company also engages in research and design of new and innovative tea products to keep up with the demands of the modern consumer.

As the world becomes more familiar with the benefits of drinking tea and gradually develops a taste for the finer teas, Chen and his brother Chen Changsong are sure to be there to initiate the Western consumers to the art of tea-drinking. Until then, we Europeans can only wait for the first China Tea King store to open its doors on this side of the Chinese border.

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