Chinese Tea In Russian Samovar
An exhibition in Moscow connects Chinese suppliers with Russian consumers
While a traditional Chinese- style brick-red robe and long braided hair are not every Russian man’s cup of tea, Andrey Gretchin, a tea brewer and tea ceremony master in Moscow, is at home in both.
At the Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Center in the Russian capital, he was brewing Chinese tea before carefully pouring it into charming ceramic cups with an image of pink lotuses at the bottom. Visitors were then served the tea in cups placed on delicate leaf-shaped saucers.
“I am interested in tea culture. I opened a teahouse in 2013, and I have visited China every year since to choose teas,” Gretchin told Beijing Review at an exhibition held at the center.
The exhibition, held on November 2224, was organized by Strong Commerce and Exhibition Co. ( SCE), a trade show organizer from Fuzhou in Fujian Province, southeast China, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Some 60 companies from various regions of China growing and producing tea showcased their products. The exhibition also featured a roundtable on the prospects of Chinese tea in Russia and opportunities for cooperation, as well as tea evaluation and tasting.
“Russians like to drink tea, but they do not yet have a good knowledge of Chinese tea, while most Chinese tea producers are unfamiliar with the Russian market,” SCE Chair Huang Jiguang said at the exhibition.
At present, 70-80 percent of tea products in the Russian tea market originate from countries such as India and Sri Lanka, while those from China account for only 7 percent, Huang said.
He called the exhibition a good platform for promoting cooperation in tea, saying there are broad prospects for such cooperation. “Eighty percent of Chinese companies received orders at the exhibition,” he said.
Chen Chengzhi, General Manager of Yunxiao Yinkang Food in Zhangzhou, Fujian, echoed these views. “I feel the market potential is huge,” Chen told Beijing Review. Yunxiao Yinkang exhibited a wide variety of products, and Chen said Russian consumers showed a strong interest in them, with all items selling out.
China produces about 40 percent of all the tea in the world, and Fujian produces 40 percent of that, according to Huang. He said several ongoing initiatives in China, such as building a beautiful countryside and targeted poverty reduction, will boost tea production in his hometown. Tea planting will generate more income while creating a pleasant environment.
Tea trade between China and Russia prospered after the 17th century, and a trade route, known in Russia as the Great Tea Road, was formed. In March 2013, during his visit to Russia, President Xi Jinping mentioned the close relations between Chinese tea producers and Russian merchants.
In September of that year, an international alliance of cities along the Great Tea Road was established. Chinese cities in a number of provinces including Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan joined the alliance, along with cities in Mongolia and Russia.
China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, and is developing the Polar Silk Road together with Russia. Chen said the initiatives will boost tea trade between the two countries.
( Reporting from Moscow, Russia)
TThe author is deputy director of the Macro Research Department at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China
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