China News Service, Nanchang, March 28th: Young people who went to Chunshan to drink tea wrote the "New Tea Classic"
Author Zhu Ying
Spring brings bright scenery and lush vegetation. In Yuan Village, Shangyou County, Jiangxi Province, the "Hometown of Famous Tea in China", Lin Lin, a "post-95s" tourist from Shenzhen, is sitting on a wooden stool in a B&B, with greenery stretching in front of his eyes, the fragrance of tea permeating the mountains and fields, and boiling water rolling in the teapot , the tea leaves unfolded in the boiling water, took a sip of spring tea, and said with emotion, "Drink a sip of spring."
Lu Yu's "The Book of Tea" says, "Every time tea is picked, it should be picked between February, March and April." Chinese tea culture has a long history, and tea drinking plays an important role in the daily life of Chinese people. In the past, drinking tea was often a label for middle-aged and elderly people. Nowadays, the "wind" that goes to Chunshan to drink tea is blowing towards young people.
"Mafengwo" big data shows that visiting spring tea gardens, in-depth understanding of Chinese tea culture, and tasting the first sip of spring tea this year have become the favorites of young people. "Spring Tea Tasting" and "Spring Tea Small Teahouse" have become hot search terms on "Little Red Book".
Huang Dongsheng, the person in charge of Yuancun Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. in Shangyou County, said that there are many young people like Lin Lin. Since February this year, tourists from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and surrounding areas have been coming in droves. More than 52,000 tourists have come to Yuancun. Experience tea picking, tea making and tea tasting, mostly young people.
In spring, young tourists experience tea picking, tea making and tea tasting in Shangyouyuan Village, Jiangxi Province. (Photo courtesy of Shangyou County)
In Xiaotan Peak of Xishan Mountain in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, the undulating hilly terrain divides and blocks water vapor, forming misty clouds and mist, giving birth to the famous Xishan White Dew Tea. The Qingming Festival is approaching, and 24-year-old Cai Yu plans to invite her friends for an outing in the tea mountains to immerse herself in the intangible cultural heritage Xishan Bailu tea-making skills. In her opinion, “This is a way of life to relieve stress, and it is also a traditional Chinese life. aesthetics."
"The Spring Equinox, Qingming Festival, and Grain Rain have always been good times for tea picking and spring outings. In order to cater to the needs of young people, we have opened tea parties, tea classes, intangible cultural heritage workshops, etc." Nanchang Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Xishan Bailu Tea Production Technique No. Hu Weihua, the fourth generation inheritor, told reporters that culture is the core of Chinese tea, and young people are keen to go to the Spring Mountains and pick spring tea, which is also a process of cultural experience.
The ritual sense of young people "taking a sip of spring" is also reflected in a set of consumption data. Taobao's 2024 spring tea consumption trend shows that consumers aged 30 to 40 are the absolute main buyers of spring tea, and the "post-90s" have "awakened their blood" by drinking tea.
The tea audience continues to show a younger trend, driving tea companies to constantly adjust and innovate. In the core production area of Lushan Yunwu Tea, Guo Qingyun, chairman of Lushan Donglin Yulu Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd., said that the company uses intelligent tea making instead of manual tea making to reduce production costs, and adds flavoring to the original leaf tea to develop floral-flavored tea. Tea caters to the purchasing preferences of young tea drinkers.
At the end of March, rows of spring tea sprouted new green at the tea garden base in Tanghu Town, Suichuan County, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province. Photo by Li Jianping
In addition, in recent years, the integration of "tea tourism +" has become an important task in promoting the development of the tea industry in various places, and is also an important means to promote the rejuvenation of Chinese tea culture. Suichuan Gougunao tea, which is famous both at home and abroad, is one of Jiangxi's precious teas. The local area has created a sacred tea valley, and the integration of tea and tourism creates a "poetry and distance"; in Anhui's Lujiang River, the tea town's boutique tourism routes connect major attractions, attracting tourists Enjoy tea and enjoy the view.
On the consumer side, new teahouses are becoming popular, and service retail continues to unleash consumption potential. During the Spring Equinox this year, HeyTea, together with the China Tea Circulation Association and others, launched the "Drink the First Sip of Spring Tea" series of activities, inviting netizens to publish content related to tea gardens, tea life, etc., and participate in the "tea-seeking journey."
According to Yu Yue, chief researcher of the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, leader of key subjects of Chinese tea culture, and dean of Wanli Tea Ceremony Academy, this is a manifestation of the fit between traditional tea culture and the needs of young people, and is in line with young people’s pursuit of “fancy health” It is related to reasons such as health, the attractiveness of tea space with Chinese aesthetics, firm cultural self-confidence and the increasing international influence of "Chinese tea".
"In short, young people will transform from consumers to recipients of tea culture and enjoy it, which will accelerate the change of the tea industry ecology, become promoters of tea culture, a new force in the tea industry, and write the 'New Tea Classic'." Yu Yue explain. (over)