Master’s Degree in
Languages, Economics, and Institutions of Asia and North Africa
Final Thesis
The Current Trends of the Contemporary Chinese Tea Industry and Their Development Through Taiwanese Influence and Historical Reforms
Supervisor: Ch. Prof. Livio Zanini
Assistant Supervisor: Ch. Prof. Marco Ceresa
Graduand: Taylor Catterina Bilardello Matriculation number: 876839
Academic Year: 2019/2020
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ...... 4 ENGLISH ...... 4 ITALIAN ...... 4 MANDARIN ...... 5
INTRODUCTION ...... 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 6 Interest in Tea ...... 6 Thanks ...... 7 Method and Limitations ...... 7 OVERVIEW OF CONTEXT ...... 7
CHAPTER 1: TAIWANESE TEA INDUSTRY OUTLINE ...... 14 SECTION 1:INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ...... 14 SECTION 2: REFORMS AND MODERN-DAY TEA INDUSTRY ...... 17 CHAPTER 2: MAINLAND CHINESE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE DURING THE 20TH CENTURY ...... 19 SECTION 1: EFFECTS OF MAO’S RULE ON THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY: THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD ...... 20 SECTION 2: EFFECTS OF MAO’S RULE ON CULTURE: THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION ...... 21 SECTION 3: AGRICULTURAL REFORMS ...... 23 Structural Change ...... 23 Technological Improvement And Government Subsidies ...... 25 CHAPTER 3: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY MAINLAND TEA TRENDS ...... 28 SECTION 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF TEA TRENDS AND PERCEPTIONS OF AUTHENTICITY ...... 31 3
SECTION 2: TYING TOGETHER THE TWO: TAIWANESE AND POLITICAL- ECONOMIC INFLUENCE ON THE MAINLAND CHINESE TEA INDUSTRY ...... 39 Case Study 1: Puer Tea ...... 41 Case Study 2: Gongfu Tea Brewing Method And Tieguanyin ...... 46 Case Study 3: Tools, Teahouses, And Tenfu Group ...... 51 Tools ...... 52 Teahouses ...... 56 Tenfu Group ...... 60 CONCLUSION ...... 63 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 65 GLOSSARY OF CHINESE TERMS ...... 72
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ABSTRACT
ENGLISH
Over the course of recent history, tea, its processing methods, its brewing techniques, and its culture have ebbed and flowed between the nations of East Asia, weaving in and out of major historical events and leaving the world with a muddled picture of what authenticity means, what the art of tea truly is, and what tea culture’s true origins are. This thesis attempts to attribute phenomena in the modern-day Mainland Chinese tea industry with different cultural influences and events that occurred in the past. The two biggest influences in the contemporary resurgence in Chinese tea culture are the following: 1) the Taiwanese economic reforms, their subsequent tea industry advancements, and their direct investment in Mainland China 2) and the history of the Maoist Era and the Reform and Opening Up that proceeded under Deng Xiaoping. Through these historical influences, the modern-day tea industry in Mainland China has been able to become a national industry, rather than remaining largely a regional one. Certain tea industry trends like the famous Puer tea, the elaborate Gongfu tea brewing method, tea education, and teahouses were able to develop and flourish all across Mainland China, changing and molding the tea industry in significant ways. This thesis explores these trends, tying each of them back to the historical influences mentioned above.
ITALIAN
Negli ultimi anni il tè, la sua lavorazione, le tecniche di infusione, e la sua cultura sono saliti e scesi fra le nazioni nell’Asia orientale, intrecciandosi con eventi storici importanti e generando numerosi interrogativi sul significato della parola autenticità, sull’arte del tè e sulle sue origini.L’obiettivo di questa tesi di laurea è quello di sottolineare l’influenza esercitata da fattori di carattere culturale e avvenimenti passati sull’attuale industria del tè cinese. Gli eventi che hanno determinato la rinascita contemporanea della cultura del tè cinese sono principalmente due: 1) Le riforme economiche taiwanesi, i successivi 5 avanzamenti nell’industria del tè e i loro investimenti diretti nella Repubblica Popolare Cinese 2) e la storia dell’era maoista e le politiche di riforma e di apertura inaugurate da Deng Xiaoping. Grazie alle influenze storiche appena menzionate, nella Cina contemporanea l’industria del tè si è diffusa a livello nazionale, non è più confinata a un carattere prettamente regionale. Si è assistito allo sviluppo di alcune tendenze legate all’industria del tè cinese come, ad esempio, il tè Puer, l’elaborato metodo di infusione Gongfu, l’educazione alla cultura del tè e le sale da tè, le quali hanno cambiato e forgiato l’industria del tè in maniera significata. L’intento di questa tesi è quello di esplorare queste tendenze, ricollegandole alle influenze storiche sopracitate.
MANDARIN