Start Your Tour in Beijing's Time-honored Tea Stores

2018-09-04

Having undergone the hot summer, tea trees in the White Dew period are in their best time of growth. The White Dew Tea is neither as tender and non-foaming as spring tea, nor as dry and bitter as summer tea, but it has a unique sweet and fresh scent that is especially popular among senior tea drinkers. Here we list a selection of tea stores. All you need is picking one and enjoy it.

Wuyutai Tea

Beijing Wuyutai Tea Co., Ltd. has evolved and developed from Wuyutai Tea Store and Wuyutai Tea Shop. Since 1887 when Wu Xiqing from Shexian County of Huizhou created the Wuyutai brand, it already has a 130-year history. Wuyutai Tea Shop was once renamed as Hongri Tea Shop, which was changed back to Wuyutai again on the 98th anniversary of its establishment in 1985. In the spring of 1994, the Tea Shop was renovated and expanded, and reopened on September 28 of the same year. The expanded tea house was increased to 80 square meters from the previous 30 square meters. In 1995, a Wuyutai Teahouse was opened beside the Tea Shop, which was not magnificent, but secluded and refined, attracting people from all walks of life.

Since 2005 when Wuyutai completed its system reform, it has become Beijing’s first time-honored brand directly changed into a stock company. After renovation, all its chain stores have a unified appearance and the same style, projecting the simple and elegant grey-red-mixed color. With three green Chinese characters (its Chinese name) and the English name beside them above its door head, decorated by black bricks, grey tiles and red door, the Shop is very impressive and attracts a great attention.

Add.: No. 18, Jianguomen Inner Street, Dongcheng District 东城区建国门内大街18号

Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop

Since established in 1900, Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop has gone through a hundred-year ups and downs, and become a famous, time-honored tea shop in Beijing. Zhangyiyuan is often mentioned when Beijingers talk about tea. Now, Zhangyiyuan has already achieved a goal integrating production, supply, sales and research & development, and established 30 production bases in Fujian, Anhui, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, producing and processing more than 300 varieties of tea, such as green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, dark green tea, and scented tea. To develop, specialize, and strengthen the Zhangyiyuan brand, Zhangyiyuan Tea Co., Ltd. has extended tea chain, successively opened teahouse, tea shops, and developed innovative industries in relation to relaxation, entertainment and culture. It now has over 120 chain shops.

ZhangyiyuanJasmine Tea featuring clear tea soup, strong aroma and fresh taste is very popular among tourist from home and abroad. In 2007, Zhangyiyuan was awarded as China’s Top Tea Brand, at the same time, the scenting technology of Zhangyiyuan jasmine tea was included into the municipal-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection List. Moreover, the Zhangyiyuan brand was recognized by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce as China’s Famous Brand.

Add.: No. 22, Dashilanr Street, Xicheng District 西城区大栅栏街22号

Yuanchanghou Tea Shop

Since 1912 when Yuanchanghou Tea Shops, originally named Yongshengyuan Tea Shops, was first established by Sun Huanwen in Chahar Special Region (the current part of Hebei Province), it already has a history of more than a hundred years. In 1930, the Shop was moved into the Xuanwumen Inner Street of Beiping (now Beijing) from Chahar Special Area. After that, Sun Huanwen extended the operating scale and still adopted the previous operating way of self-selling. To achieve prosperous businesses and a large fortune, he changed its original name - Yongshengyuan - into Yuanchanghou symbolizing new beginning, long history and tremendous strength. In 1993, the Yuanchanghou Tea Shop was named as a time-honored brand by the state.

In old times, people who opened tea shops in Beijing were mostly from South China, especially from Anhui, the brands surnamed Wu almost occupied the tea market at that time. Sun Huanwen was the first Beijinger to open tea shop. To develop businesses and make a solid foundation in the tea industry, Sun clan diligently researched the tea technology and made a rule to control and manage the sources of tea, so as to strengthen their businesses from the very first step.

The three-level management system - supervision, monitoring and reporting - was implemented in the process of tea production. Since 1993 when Yuanchanghou tea processing factory was established, the Yuanchanghou tea brand has been developed, and become a well-known brand in China after 10 years’ development and production. To obtain a greater development in the new market, the company selected a site as its own tea garden in South China. The unprocessed tea produced there are absolutely pollution-free and natural, which meet the national inspection standards. The Yuanchanghou has become a green brand since then.

Add.: No. 14, South Xisi Street, Xicheng District 西城区西四南大街14号

Qinglinchun Tea Shop

Qinglinchun Tea Shop at Qianmen Street was opened by Lin Zixun (from Fujian) in 1927, and soon became the best renowned tea shop in Beijing, benefiting from its prime location and good assortment of goods. With the implementation of reform and opening-up policy and the rapid development of market economy, the original goods of Qinglinchun cannot satisfy the market needs and thus the company was renovated in 1997 with its shop area expanded from 50 square meters to 117 square meters behind a newly designed façade in elegant and unique style.

In 2000, to win market in the fierce competition, Qinglinchun made full use of its business place by three graceful tea spaces, transformed from offices and warehouse on the second floor, to create a perfect place integrating tea sales, tasting and leisure for consumer's needs, these two renovations brought Qinglinchun a great economic and social benefits. In 2001, Qinglinchun took the opportunity - the Technical Supervision Bureau of Hangzhou Municipal Government held the Press Conference for Authentic West Lake Longjing Tea and the Opening Ceremony in Beijing - to achieve a listing qualification after investigated by West Lake Longjing Tea Plant in goods allocation, and then establish a “Specialty Store for Authentic West Lake Longjing Tea”, gaining a rising reputation in Beijing.

Address: No. 6-7, Xidajie, Chongwenmen, Dongcheng District 东城区崇文门西大街6-7

Sentai Tea Shop

Sentai Tea Shop was founded 150 years ago in Xianfeng Period of the Qing Dynasty (1850 - 1861). Anhui Province is famous for tea plantation. Sentai Tea Shop assigns personnel to purchase tea in southern China. The purchased tea is processed in Fujian and transported to Beijing to get packaged. Most Beijingers like to drink jasmine tea. The jasmine tea served in Sentai has small leaves, authentic color, clear soup and pleasant taste, which is popular in Beijing.

Compared to jasmine tea, other types of tea have low sales. But Sentai still prepare great variety of tea, like black tea, green tea, compacted tea, oolong and scented tea in high, medium and low quality levels. The Sentai's tea has small leaves and tidy shape. The tea soup is yellow and the aroma lasts long. Generally, the tea the first time you make is tasteless, but it smells fragrant the second time. You can drink the same cup of tea till the fourth time. What' more, Sentai's tea, no matter scented tea, black tea, or green tea, is cheaper than that in other tea shops.

Add.: No. 118, Qianmen Street, Xicheng District 西城区前门大街118号

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