Tea Market in China

1684 Words7 Pages
The Market of Chinese Tea 1) History of Chinese Tea treading Chinese tea had been traded for over 150 years. According to its development process, we could split it into 3 stages: 1. The first stage (1840 ~ 1886) This was the period when production and trades for Chinese tea rose, the area for tea production enlarged, and the amount of production increased. From statistical records, the total amount in production for the whole of China was around 50,000 tons and the total amount of tea exported was 19,000 tons in the 1840s. By 1886, the total amount of tea produced and exported reached 250,000 tons and 134,000 tons respectively - a 500% and 700% increase since 4 decades ago. At the time the total amount of tea exported accounted for 62% of all of China's exports. The rise in tea trade was mainly because the demand for tea by foreigners was growing rapidly. The signing of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 also forced the Qing government to open 5 ports for trade, which, together with the advent of fast transport boats, prompted tea trade's seaward development. But the rise in tea trade was also because China needed to balance its trade deficit. By around 1842, China was importing opium in vast amounts. In order to pay for the imports, the Qing government enlarged its export of silk and tea to bring money into China. These actions in turn increased tea selling. 2. The second stage (1887 ~ 1949) This was the period when Chinese tea trade began to decline. Since the Dutch and the British began planting tea in their colonies (around 1886), China's leading position in tea trading was eroded - and later even replaced. During that time, places such as Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka became tea markets of the world. This was partly because these new tea makers were using machines to make tea. They were more efficient and more competitive than China, not just

More about Tea Market in China

Open Document