Traditional Chinese teahouses are impacted by coffee shops

BWCHINESE Chinese Network News, according to foreign media reports, China is the hometown of tea, but also the birthplace of tea culture. The discovery and utilization of tea has a history of four or five thousand years in China, and it has been flourishing for a long time and spread all over the world. Therefore, no matter how many Starbucks stores in China, it can not replace the status of tea in the hearts of the Chinese people.

In the late 1970s, the price of a cup of tea in a teahouse was only 2 cents. Now 100 grams of high-quality tea in upscale tea shops can sell for thousands of yuan. Wealthy consumers may be drinking tea with friends or business partners all afternoon or evening.

In China, tea is not only a drink, but also a part of culture. As disposable income continues to rise, it is only natural that there is a growing love for expensive tea shops. It is worth noting that this comes at a time when Starbucks is accelerating its expansion in China. The company sees China as a "first-class opportunity" and plans to triple the total number of stores over the next three years. Other coffee operators have also opened stores in China.

The teahouses in Beijing do not seem to be disturbed by Starbucks, and there are now more than 500, of which the head of one teahouse said, "the coffee shop will attract some consumers, but they are all people who don't understand tea." Company managers and government officials choose teahouses, and many executives also find the best way to strengthen business relationships-drinking tea while talking about business. Many teahouses do better on weekdays than on weekends.

People who go to teahouses are usually people in their 40s or older. By contrast, coffee shops are more attractive to young Chinese. Can teahouses continue to prosper when young people who like coffee become middle-aged? Insiders in the industry believe that the iPhone generation will return to tradition when they get older. Lin Zhengping, who goes to both the coffee shop and the teahouse to talk business, believes that the teahouse will continue to exist. "if there is a teahouse next to the coffee shop, of course I choose the teahouse." This is a Chinese tradition. We are Chinese. "

No matter how many coffee shops open in China, some things of traditional culture are firmly rooted in the hearts of the Chinese people and will not succumb to the forces of globalization.

China Coffee Trading Network: www.gafei.com