Taste a cup of Chinese-French friendship tea from Yunnan
Special Program on the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France
When Yunnan meets France, with a scent of flowers, a section of century-old metre-gauge railway, and a cup of amber-colored tea, this two civilizations began their wonderful encounter a hundred years ago.
Listen, the melody of camel bells is still linering on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Look, the China-Europe express freight trains are galloping forward.
From the depths of the dense forest to the other side of the ocean, it is the precipitation of time, the lingering aroma of tea, but also the continuation of Chinese-French friendship, Please enjoy Special Program: "My Hometown and I: Taste a Cup of Chinese-French Friendship Tea".
William, founder of Farmer Leaf: My name is William, I come from France. I think Pu’er Tea is quite different from other kinds of teas, and it has an active effect in the mouth. That's what I find most interesting in Pu’er Tea, and that's why I'm attracted to it. We spend most of our time in Yunnan but sometimes we travel to Europe to give tea sessions and promote the tea culture. We love doing that.
The year of 2024 marks 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, but also the year of culture and tourism between China and France, the two peoples of the two countries appreciate each other's history and culture. A magical leaf from the southwestern border of China also connects and witnesses the deep friendship between China and France, bringing more cultural identity between each other.
This is a cup of friendship tea from China to the world.
"There is a treasure plant in southern China, and its leaves have a real fragrance". As a carrier of culture and a link of communication, tea makes more people understand Chinese culture and further promotes exchanges and cooperation.
Julie, founder of ANYA Tea House in Paris: My name is JULIE, I was born in Paris and grew up there. In fact, my parents are from Kunming, Yunnan, Tea Culture means a lot for Yunnan. For example, this Pu'er tea is from a very old tea tree, and I gave it to my French friends to taste and they especially liked it. The French market is still particularly interested in our tea, and I have already been contacted by two Michelin restaurants, and it is estimated that in a couple of months we will be able to taste our tea in their restaurants. In Paris, several five-star hotels also want to distribute our tea, and there is also the possibility of cooperating with some big shopping malls to display our products this year.
To talk about Pu 'er tea in France, we have to talk about the first "Yunnan Tuo Tea" that successfully accepted by the French and European markets, which is inseparable from the effort of a French businessman: Mr. Fred Kempler.
Chu Jiuyun, Chairman of Yunnan Xiaguan Tuo Cha Group: Mr. Kempler made significant efforts, showing great confidence and persistence. He conducted clinical trials in France, followed by marketing campaigns and advertisements, which helped introduce "Yunnan Tuo Tea" to the French market.
In 1976, Kempler brought Yunnan Tuo Tea to France for the first time, and brought the famous "Xiao Fa Tuo" which means "Tuo Tea" sold to France.
Chang Jinqiang, Witnesse of "Xiao Fa Tuo" Tea, former manager of Special Tea Department of Yunnan Tea Import and Export Company: The sales of Yunnan Tuo Tea in France marked a milestone in the history of world tea and the export of Chinese tea. When I visited France in the 1990s, I conducted a street survey asking locals about their most vivid impression of China. The response was often "Yunnan Tuo Tea" and "Tsingtao Beer". We are proud that Yunnan Tuo Tea has gained such recognition and won the hearts of the French people.
For a generation, "Yunnan Tuo Tea" became a symbol of "Chinese elements" in France. In 1973, Yunnan began experimenting with the fermentation of Pu’er ripe tea. By 1975, the Yunnan Xiaguan Tea Factory had successfully developed the fermentation process and began production in 1976. Mr. Fred Kempler, a French Jew, discovered "Yunnan Tuo Tea" in Hong Kong a Tea Shop operated by Tianxing (Hong Kong Tianxing Tea Trading Company). Fascinated by its unique, bird’s nest-like shape, he bought two pieces for research. His dedication led him to visit Yunnan’s tea production sites, where he fell in love with the taste of Yunnan Tea. After returning to France, he ordered two tons of Tuo Tea for test marketing.
Yang Kai, Tea expert, preface author of the book Yunnan Tuo Tea Xiao Fa Tuo: In 1979, Mr. Kempler commissioned the French medical institutions Saint Antoine Medical School in Paris and the University of Lyon’s Department of Medicine to conduct clinical research on Yunnan Tuo Tea. The study, led by Dr. Emile Carrotsby, involved a control group of individuals aged 18 to 60 with high blood lipid levels.
One group drank Yunnan Tuo Tea, while the other took the lipid-lowering drug Clofibrate. After one month, results showed that Yunnan Tuo Tea was more effective than Clofibrate in reducing blood lipid levels. This research, famously known as the "Emile Detection Report", drew significant attention from the French medical and nutritional communities and continues to have an impact to this day.
Wang Yuan, Director of the Archives of Kunming Medical University: There is a record in our archives of Kunming Medical University in the collection of a summary of scientific research in 1980.
In 1980, our medical staff made systematic observation on the province's specialty "Tuo Tea" to find its blood lipid-lowering effect, after 55 cases of drinking Tuo Tea and 31 cases of taking blood lipid-lowering drugs Clofibrate group for comparative observation, they found that the effect of Yunnan Tuo Tea in lowering cholesterol is similar to Clofibrate, we provide those academic information on foreign trade and have attracted much importance from foreign businessmen.
Since then, the sales of Yunnan Tuo Tea have grown by leaps and bounds. It is not only sold to France, but also to more than 30 countries and regions around the world.
Professor Wang Baijuan, Dean of Tea College of Yunnan Agricultural University: The influence of "Xiao Fa Tuo" has been greatly promoted in the world, and France has become an important window for Pu'er tea to the world. In the late 1980s, the University of Lyon, France, as the theoretical level, carried out a comprehensive physical and chemical analysis of Yunnan Tuo Tea, and published a monogram, a detailed description of the chemical composition of Yunnan Tuo Tea, that Yunnan Tuo Tea on the human body in the cholesterol, triglycerides, blood uric acid, etc. have different degrees of inhibition. This study was also included in the "French Medical Dictionary". Of course, "Xiao Fa Tuo" has also won many international honors, and set a lot of records in the history of tea export.
Since 1977, it has been exported from 2 tons to 8 tons, 20 tons, 80 tons...... The sales volume of Yunnan Tuo Tea increased by multiple times every year. and by 1991, the export had exceeded 200 tons. At that time, the French people called Yunnan Tuo Tea "Coke Flavor" and the Americans called it "Sun Flavor", which is the true "Flower inside the wall and fragrance outside the wall" product in the history of Pu'er Tea.
The time has come to 2024. In today's France, many young people love to drink Yunnan Tea. In their words, "Drinking Yunnan Pu'er Tea on Jingmai Mountain is like drinking French Coffee by the Seine River." Yunnan Tea has become popular in France. The fragrant tea is the gift of China and the passion of Yunnan people.
Zhang Le, Founder of Yileye Tea Studio in Paris: I am the founder of Paris Yileye Tea Studio, and I am also a senior national Tea Master and Tea Reviewer in China. We regularly invite everyone to taste new tea when we have some new tea products. Usually, we have some fixed courses, which are in some Universities, Middle Schools and Primary Schools in Paris, and then we go to the campus，to the local students and children to experience Chinese Tea.
From "Xiao Fa Tuo" to the tea course on the French campus, in recent years, the consumption of Chinese tea in France has increased year by year. According to statistics, in the first half of this year, the export volume of China mainland tea to France was 1867.76 tons, an increase of 31.77%. Now, French people's recognition of tea is higher than ever before. Tea, is like a green tie, connecting the friendship between China and France.
This is a cup of tea embodying diversity and tolerance.
48 years ago, "Xiao Fa Tuo" opened a beautiful "Chinese-French Tea Relationship", and today, Yunnan Tea, especially Pu'er Tea as a representative of the new Chinese health style, has been favored by many French people.
Antoine，France Local Citizen: My wife and I often drink tea in the evenings, and increasingly we choose Chinese Tea. I know China produces tea in the southwest, particularly in Yunnan, a region renowned worldwide. I’ve had the opportunity to buy this tea, and I believe it’s called Pu’er Tea.
Ten Thousand Mile Tea Route across the oceans, tea keeps its fragrant all the way, between China and France, because of the Tea we continue to write more interesting stories.
William, founder of Farmer Leaf: My name is William, and I come from Provence, France. I arrived in China in 2009 and was captivated by Yunnan and its Pu’er Tea. To me, Yunnan Pu’er Tea is the best in the world, and I decided to settle here. I love the diversity of customs in this region. In French, we have a word "Terroir", which means "风土" in Chinese. This unique concept of "Terroir" could serve as a shared cultural connection between China and France.
Because of Tea, The Provence boy lives in Yunnan; For Tea, Tea Expert Ms. Zhang Le is constantly trying to find innovation in France.
Zhang Le, founder of Paris Yileye Tea Studio: I think Tea needs some innovations, such as the bubble tea, which combines soda water with tea, and nitrogen tea. The Tea tastes like beer and has a very smooth taste. Tea is a great intangible cultural heritage, but in our case, it can also give it some new exploration and vitality.
The Times call for a new chapter. Yunnan Tea in France, is also unfolding more unique cross-border.
In 2016, the French luxury brand LVMH drew inspiration from the thousand-year tea fragrance of Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan, and founded the Tea Spirit ecological protection skin care brand - Tea Spirit. From the original intention of conserving the rainforest to the deep cultivation of the Chinese market, Tea Spirit has opened a beautiful story in China.
Shen Angel,The general manager of Chaling Greater China brand: Because this is a Chinese-French hybrid brand, so the Chinese part is very important, we actually have a mission, in addition to protecting the rain forest, but also will inherit a lot of China's intangible cultural heritage, including Jingmai Mountain, Jingmai Mountain is one of the raw materials of our Pu'er Tea. We are also very exciting about the Jingmai Mountain was successful added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. For us, Tea brand is indeed a very important element.
In addition to cross-border luxury face creams, Pu'er Tea is also associated with perfumes in France. As we all know, France is a famous perfume producer in the world, and many perfume brands were born there. Yunnan is the home of tea, a seemingly ordinary leaf with a high degree of richness and inclusiveness.
In May this year, the "Elegant" Tea Salon of Yunnan Tea was held in Lyon, France. French perfumer Laure Rizo created a new perfume with bergamot as the top note, rose and jasmine as the middle note, and synthetic musk, tea, grass and other herbs as the end note. He sprayed it on Yunnan Tea sachet and presented it to the guests one by one. The sweet fragrance of flowers, accompanied by the grass and wood fragrance of Pu'er Tea, gave the guests a fresh and natural feeling.
Frank, French Citizen: The combination of Yunnan Pu’er Tea and French perfume is truly exquisite. The fragrance of the earth is always the most captivating.
Mr. Lao Lu, French tea culture famous and expert: Chinese Tea is an excellent medium for cultural exchange. When foreigners first try Chinese Tea, it often sparks their curiosity and interest. As they say, people are always the starting point, and "people-oriented" principles resonate universally across nations and cultures.
This is a cup of tea that unites and harmonizes the world.
7th April 2023 Chinese President Xi Jinping held an informal meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Tea, as an important Chinese element, appeared on important foreign affairs occasions. Wherever there is a state affair, there will be Tea Events. The two heads of countries sit near the water, followed the long and graceful music of "High Mountains and Flowing Water", listened to the thousand-year old musical instrument Gu qin, playing the thousand-year old song, and tasted the thousand-year tea rhyme to recount a thousand-year old rise and fall.
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China: High mountains and flowing water seek a soulmate, and only a true soulmate can understand their music.
Emmanuel Macron，President of the French Republic: Over the past 60 years, dialogue and communication between France and China have made invaluable contributions to building a stable and balanced world.
In recent years, the popular tea gathering, which covers both state affairs and family affairs, is actually a chat over tea. Only in recent years, this form of chatting over tea has really caught attentions. From the tea gathering between Chinese and French leaders in Guangzhou, to the 2024 "Making Yunnan Tea Known Around the World" Chinese (Yunnan) Tea Culture in Europe Promotion event "debut" in Paris, France, let the world appreciate the harmony and diversity of Chinese culture, beauty and sharing.
Cultural communication brings cultural identity. China and France, one an ancient civilization in the East and the other a romantic country in the West, enjoy a long history of exchanges and astable and enduring relationship. This profound friendship is not only reflected in the political, economic, cultural and other fields, but also permeates people's daily lives.
In 1902, French missionary Tian Deneng planted the first coffee sapling in Zhukula Village, Dali; In 1903, when China's first international railway connecting Yunnan and Vietnam was built. Since then. Yunnan's "Xiao Fa Tuo" Tea has been highly sought after in France. Now exchanges between Yunnan and France go deep in the field of culture and art, and a total of four pairs of sister cities have been established. Including Pu 'er and Libourne, Kunming and Grasse, Lijiang and Albi, Pingbian County and Tanus City. The love between Yunnan and France is continuing in various ways.
While Yunnan is enjoying the romance of French wine and lavender, the fragrance of Yunnan tea is also lingering in the closets and living rooms of French people. We believe that with mutual trust and mutual benefit, mutual appreciation, mutual integration and mutual excitement between our two countries, China and France will surely embrace deeper cooperation and a brighter future!
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China: I firmly believe that in the next 60 years, China and France will join hands to create another chapter of brilliant development!
Channels and Broadcast Time:
FM100 Yunnan Education Radio 11:00～12:00, December 30
SW6035 Yunnan International Broadcasting premiere from 18:30 to 19:00 and replay from 21:30 to 22:00, December 30
FM99 Yunnan Tourism Radio 19:00～20:00, December 30
Produced by: Yunnan Radio and Television Station
Chief planners: Zhang Zhixin, Gu Ran
Reporters: Lu Lingjie, Liu Yue, Wang Ka, Fang Jing
Translation: Yan Fan, Wang Kai, Xu Yidan
Dubbing: Wang Ka, Lu Lingjie, John Overton, Li Zhuzhu