Fu Tianfu: Let Fuzhou jasmine tea float in the world

Fu Tianfu introduced the jasmine tea making process.

Fuzhou Evening News reporter Ma Liqing Qiu Quansheng /Wen Lin Shuangwei/Photo

During the 44th World Heritage Conference, Chunlun Group's Fuzhou Jasmine Tea surprised guests. Behind the aura is Fu Tianfu's resolute march on the road to the rejuvenation of the tea industry for decades.

Fu Tianfu is the general manager of Chunlun Group, the representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage project of Fujian Province, and the master of the traditional kilning process of Fuzhou jasmine tea. He led Chunlun Group to make "Fuzhou Famous Tea" fragrant in the world.

From picking a tea to carrying a leather bag

Jasmine tea is sold nationwide

In 1965, Fu Tianfu and his twin brother Fu Tianlong were born in the town of Chengmen. The Fu family has been making jasmine tea for generations, and as early as the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, they founded the "ShengChunyuan" business.

Since elementary school, Fu Tianfu has followed suit to learn to make tea. In the 1980s, private tea enterprises in Fuzhou sprung up, and Fu Tianfu and Fu Tianlong also tried to start a business. At that time, jasmine tea was very popular in the north, and they first set their sights on the northern market.

Fu Tianfu's sales territory began in Shijiazhuang. Every year after the new tea was listed, he transported the jasmine tea to Shijiazhuang by rail. At first, he would carry seventy or eighty pounds of tea every day, get up early and go to the market in the dark, and walk the streets and alleys to sell at other times. Later, "picking tea burdens" became "carrying leather bags", and he turned his attention to local factories and took buses to sell door to door every day.

Within a few years, the brothers opened the northern market, and then expanded to the south, making Fuzhou jasmine tea popular throughout the country.

From low-grade tea to Fuzhou famous tea

Jasmine tea wafts the world

At the end of the 1990s, jasmine tea, which once occupied half of the national tea market, became a low-grade tea in people's eyes. Many jasmine tea enterprises in Fuzhou have closed their doors. But Fu Tianfu did not give up, but worked hard to seek revival.

He established more than 800 acres of eco-tourism tourism parks in Beifeng, built more than 7,000 acres of jasmine fields on both sides of the Minjiang River, and spent millions of dollars to produce jasmine tea masterpieces - Jasmine Needle King, reversing the impression of "low grade" jasmine tea.

He said that on the road to rejuvenation, Chunlun Group gradually clarified its development goals - to make brand tea, ecological tea, cultural tea, to build a national brand, and to establish cultural self-confidence.

In 2010, Chunlun Group took the lead in formulating the national standard for jasmine tea, improving the quality and reputation of tea, and making the industry develop towards high-end.

After that, Fu Tianfu formulated an international strategy: with the help of the "Belt and Road", let jasmine tea and culture perfume the world. Over the years, following the "Fujian Tea Sea Silk Tour" activity, Fu Tianfu and his team have traveled all over Russia, Britain, France, Australia and other countries and regions, spreading the essence of jasmine tea culture to all over the world.

In 2014, Fuzhou's jasmine planting and tea culture system was selected as "Global Important Agricultural Cultural Heritage" and became Fuzhou's "gilded business card" to the world. How do you make this business card shine? Fu Tianfu believes that innovation genes must be implanted.

Chunlun Group has innovatively launched products such as "Constellation Tea", "Second Bubble Tea", "Very 6+1", and also uses jasmine as raw materials to produce skin care products, essential oil soaps, shampoos and other derivative products.

At present, the brand value of The tea industry of Chunlun Group exceeds 7 billion yuan, the sales network covers dozens of countries, and a branch office has been established in France and a display center in the United States. "Now all Michelin restaurants in France are promoting our products." Fu Tianfu said.

Source: Fuzhou News Network