TORONTO, April 30, 2026 – Against the backdrop of the opening of the 2026 Fengqing Black Tea Festival, Dianhong tea has once again entered the public spotlight. From the “tea of national salvation” during the War of Resistance to an important tea product now reaching global markets, the development path of Fengqing Dianhong reflects the transformation and upgrading of China’s tea industry across different periods.
The industrial origins of Dianhong tea carry a strong mark of its era. In the late 1930s, amid severe shortages of national resources, Dianhong tea entered international markets as an important export commodity and was regarded as a key vehicle for “earning foreign exchange through tea.” At that stage, tea was not only an agricultural product, but also carried a special economic and historical function. Later, Dianhong gradually established a stable reputation for quality and market recognition, and entered the system of state gift teas, becoming part of China’s external exchanges.
In the current stage, the market environment facing Fengqing Dianhong has changed significantly. Traditional tea consumption has become relatively stable, while the new tea drink market, driven mainly by younger consumers, has expanded rapidly. Data shows that the number of new tea drink outlets in China has exceeded 400,000, and market size continues to grow, reshaping tea consumption patterns and supply chain structures. In this context, Dianhong is no longer only an end product, but is also extending into areas such as raw material supply and standards output.
Changes in industrial organization have become an important turning point for Fengqing in recent years. In the past, tea farmers operated separately and enterprises competed on their own, making it difficult to form scale advantages. Since 2021, the local area has connected enterprises, cooperatives, and tea farmers through the formation of a Dianhong Tea Industry Alliance, gradually building an industrial system with unified standards, unified quality control, and coordinated development. At present, the alliance covers most tea gardens and tea farmers, achieving integration across the chain from cultivation to processing and then to sales.
Standardization and quality control have become the core foundation supporting industrial upgrading. On the tea garden management side, the area has advanced green cultivation and grid-based supervision. In the processing stage, it has introduced intelligent equipment and cleaner production processes. In circulation, it has improved market recognition through unified standards and brand systems. This series of measures has gradually helped “Fengqing Dianhong Tea” shift from a regional product toward a standardized brand.
At the same time, Dianhong tea is accelerating its entry into the new consumer system. A number of local tea companies have already become raw material suppliers for leading domestic new tea drink brands, participating in product systems represented by milk tea and cold-brew tea. In this way, the traditional black tea industry is being connected to modern consumer scenarios, while also opening new space for growth.
Viewed over a longer cycle, the development path of Fengqing Dianhong is shifting from that of a “single agricultural product” to a “full industrial chain system.” By improving efficiency in production, strengthening added value in processing, expanding channels in sales, and reinforcing influence in branding, it is gradually building a comprehensive system covering raw materials, products, culture, and services.
The continued holding of the Black Tea Festival provides a concentrated platform for displaying and connecting this transformation. On one hand, the event strengthens recognition of the regional brand. On the other, it creates a communication mechanism between enterprises and channels, and between capital and industry, accelerating resource integration.
Against the backdrop of global tea industry competition and changing consumption structures, the next stage of Fengqing Dianhong’s development will still depend on its continued improvement in quality, standards, and market adaptability. From “wartime tea” to one link in the new tea drink supply chain, the evolution of this industry is continuing to be redefined. (End)
