The Power of Tea

Happy Chinese New Year! This last week China celebrated the beginning of the year of the Dragon. In honor of this cultural event The Welcome Mat would like to talk about a product both important to Chinese culture and to fair trade; tea! Tea has been a major part of the Chinese diet for thousands of years and for many of the people of China's Yunnan province it is their life.

In the South West corner of Yunnan lies the Jingmai Mangjing Ancient Tea Forrest. It is home to many varieties of tea found no where else in the world, and to some of the world's oldest tea trees, ranging from 600 to 1300 years old. The rich biodiversity of this forest also harbors excellent conditions for organic conditions. Jingmai is a gathering of villages of the Dai people, and Mangjing to the Bulang peoples. Both are descended from the Pu people, known to be the earliest tea

planters (1066-221 BC.) This ancient Bulong proverb explains the people's dedication and deep cultural connection to the tea trees:

If you leave the gold you will spend it,
If you leave the ox it may die,

We must leave the tea trees,

So they can grow and provide.

You should not let others take the tea trees.

You should protect the tea trees like you do your life
And never let them out of your control.

The only fair trade tea available from this unique part of the planet is distributed by Rishi Tea from the Ancient Tea Tree Association. The money the farmers get helps support community development, education, as well as environmental stewardship. Social premiums have helped the locals start a library, cultural center, agricultural training program, and make improvements such as road and water quality. In addition to this, the first two students from Mangjing Village were able to attend university! To some these things may not seem like a lot, but for Yunnan they are some very large steps towards a better life. Despite their natural resources and rich biodiversity Yunnan has one of the lowest income levels per capita in all of China. Thanks to the fair trade initiatives of Rishi more and more Jingmai Mangjing children are able to afford education, because more and more local schools are being funded.

So when we buy fair trade, we are not just getting a good product, and the producers are not just getting a fair price. We are providing people with education, better living conditions, and brighter futures. For Americans tea is a warm drink for a cold day, or a cold drink for a hot day. We use it to relax when we're on our own, and drink it with friends and social engagements. But thanks to companies like Rishi Tea our every day routine can be someone else' future.