Creative tea offerings reflect upgraded consumption scenarios

Its market size is estimated to reach about 375 billion yuan in 2025, with 26.2 percent of consumers in 2022 showing their intentions to consume more such types of tea, according to a survey by the research firm iiMedia Research.

Chinese tea has a rich history of traversing both borders and time, thanks to the ancient Silk Road and the Tea Horse Road. Today, the sought-after commodity continues to demonstrate its vitality in the modern world, while also receiving recognition from the global community.

In 2022, traditional Chinese tea-making techniques were included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

At Wuyutai Tea Shop on Qianmen Street, a major commercial hub in Beijing, customers can be seen lining up to buy specialty "tea ice cream." The renowned brand, established in Beijing in 1887, has gained a reputation for its exquisite jasmine tea. With over 500 outlets across China, the company is now undergoing a transformation to cater to the preferences of young people.

"We have long noted the market changes, and developed the tea ice cream in 2008. It is popular among customers, and more than 30 branches sell the product," said Zhao Shuxin, chairman of the board of Wuyutai Tea.

According to Tang Xin, who heads the research institute of municipal affairs under the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, the stove-boiled tea activity and the emergence of the market of new tea beverages, integrating traditional culture and modernity, have become a new consumption growth point embraced by Chinese consumers.

"More new forms of Chinese-style consumption will spring up in the future," Tang said.