CRI听力:Is the World Sipping less Chinese Tea?

The practice of drinking and serving tea has been part of China's cultural identity for centuries. China used to be the world's sole provider of tea. Today, tea is the world's most widely consumed beverage after water, and famous Chinese teas are still highly prized.

Tea experts estimate that top-quality Longjing will sell for 40,000 to 50,000 yuan per 500 grams this year, about 25 percent higher than last year. The price of common Longjing will be around 4,000 yuan per 500 grams this year.

Though quality tea is highly pursued at home, it seems that it has not secured a strong position in the global market.

Li Shiwei is the board chairman of Tianfu Group, a flagship tea enterprise based in Fujian Province, a major production region of oolong tea in China. He says a major problem for today's private tea enterprises is that they do not have enough money to operate on a large scale, let alone undertake promotions overseas.
 
"Most of China's tea enterprises are non-state-owned with lack of funding being their weakest point. We are glad to see that Minsheng Bank is now offering a special loan program for tea enterprises. We hope more banks in China will give us more support in terms of financing."

Li Jiaxun, board chairman of Zhejiang Tea Group, China's largest exporter of green tea, says a lack of widely recognized brand names is holding Chinese tea exports back and squeezing the industry's profit margin.

Li cites his own company as an example. The group mainly sells tea as a raw material rather than a branded product. As a result, its profit margin is only about 5 percent, and sometimes even lower.

The tea expert adds that Chinese companies should also adapt to the needs of western customers, who might prefer black tea to green, and teabags to loose-leaf teas.

Wen Zhongliang, deputy director of the Foreign Trade Department under the Ministry of Commerce, says it is an urgent task for Chinese tea producers and sellers to build up the image of Chinese tea abroad to boost tea exports.
 
"In addition to ensuring the high quality of Chinese tea, tea enterprises in the country should promote the image of Chinese tea together. It could be something of an effort to explain the cultural significance and health benefits of tea to foreigners, but once they realize that, they will find it fascinating."

The trade official suggests that existing networks such as the Confucius Institutes be used to spread China's tea culture around the world.

For CRI, this is Su Yi.