Just as the nation’s tea world was celebrating and taking pride in “Traditional Chinese Tea-Making Techniques and Related Customs” entering the world intangible cultural heritage list, a well-known Fujian tea enterprise—Richun Co., Ltd.—stands accused of fraud in its “Ten Million in Cash for the Wuyi Tea King” contest, and the affair has set the tea industry abuzz…
The China Cooperation Times · Tea Weekly all-media reporters first lay out how events unfolded:
The full story of the “Richun Tea King Competition incident”!
● September 28, 2022
Richun Co., Ltd. issued the notice for the “Richun · Hongfang: 10 Million in Cash for the Wuyi Zhengyan Tea King (Rougui, Shuixian, Da Hong Pao)” contest. The organizer was Richun’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Wuyishan—Fujian Wuyishan Hongfang Tea Co., Ltd.
● October 1-30
Wuyishan tea farmers submitted samples. The rules required each entrant to submit 24 jin of tea per sample, of which 1 jin would be drawn for judging; non-finalist samples would be returned with the remaining 23 jin. With prize money so large, Wuyishan tea farmers participated enthusiastically. Richun said publicly it had received more than 6,000 samples.
● November 1-21
The preliminary round selected 405 finalist samples. On the 21st, Richun published the list of 405 finalists—but a large number of entries had consecutive serial numbers. Seeing this, contestants angrily accused the organizers of fraudulent manipulation behind closed doors, aiming to keep the prize money in-house while pocketing large quantities of tea samples. Beyond the consecutive winning numbers, farmers also noted that only some 5,800 sample numbers had been submitted, yet many winning numbers were virtual numbers beyond 5,800 that could not be matched to any entrant’s information.
● November 21-23
Farmers gathered at the sample-collection hall demanding answers. Richun’s president, Wang Qilian, then declared “This event is mine to run; whoever I say wins, wins”—pouring fuel on the farmers’ anger. The incident alerted the Wuyishan city government and public security organs; relevant departments arrived to keep order and promised an investigation. On November 23, Richun published “An Open Letter to the Tea Farmers of Wuyishan” on its official WeChat account, admitting that confusion had occurred during sample collection and apologizing for the handling. President Wang Qilian came forward to apologize and slapped himself in the face on the spot.
● November 30-December 1
Richun again published “A Letter to the Tea Farmers” on its official account, admitting the competition’s plan was unclear, sample collection improper, judging not rigorous, and rules not strict, and that the company would bear legal responsibility for the impact and consequences. It would halt the event immediately and purchase each judged 1-jin sample from participating farmers at 1,033 yuan. The teas that had made the finals would be handled by negotiation with farmers according to their wishes.
Only with the mediation of the Wuyishan political-legal committee and the tea authorities did the “Richun Tea King Competition incident”—born of the 10-million-yuan contest—finally subside.
The essence of “tea competition” is to showcase the value of fine craft and fine tea!
In recent years, contests of every kind—”Tea King Competitions,” “Tea Duels,” “Tea-Making Contests”—aimed at raising farmers’ craft and helping enterprises select fine teas have risen one after another in the tea world. They evolved from the centuries-old “tea duel” tradition, inherit the history of Chinese tea culture, and in the grand project of building a tea culture for the new era, spreading China’s fine traditions and raising cultural confidence, they have the advantages of being close to the masses, easy to spread, and quietly nourishing. They enrich the public’s tea life and deserve support.
At the same time, tea competitions of all kinds have real value for the tea industry.
First, “Tea King Competitions” and “tea duels” pursue the finest teas, winning industry recognition and prominence for winning teas and their makers and raising the social standing of top-level tea technicians. The market gains fine tea, skilled craftsmen gain fame, enterprises gain development.
Second, “tea-making contests” aim to spread and improve tea processing skills; through orderly competition and clear rules they guide tea enterprises and tea people to value production and quality, playing an irreplaceable role in advocating craftsmanship and pushing the industry toward healthy development.
Third, they ease farmers’ “difficulty selling” so that good tea commands a good price. From the earliest tea appraisals in various tea regions, to on-site making contests judged by professional and public juries, hidden masters and fine folk teas have emerged in droves and been enthusiastically sought. The “Tea King Competitions” and “tea duels” that grew from this can greatly drive sales of good tea at quality prices. Such premium events are usually run by leading enterprises: on one hand, the corporate brand raises the event’s voice and magnifies winning teas’ influence; on the other, the event gathers and “purchases” fine teas from thousands of households at one stroke, achieving the win-win of solving farmers’ selling difficulties and letting good tea sell at a premium.
Especially over the past three years, with the pandemic repeatedly resurging, farmers’ selling difficulties arose from time to time. Such tea events, blending culture with sales, eased the selling problem precisely and boosted farmers’ incomes. One can say a single event promoted good tea, solved the selling problem, accomplished what scattered individual farm households never could, and brought the leading enterprise both economic and public-interest returns. This should have been a good thing benefiting both farmers and enterprises—but Richun’s disregard for farmers’ interests clearly betrayed the original intent of tea competitions and damaged their fine tradition.
Standardizing and upgrading tea competitions brooks no delay!
The “Richun Tea King Competition incident” is a profound lesson for the tea industry! Standardizing and upgrading tea competitions is now urgent. As an industry media, China Cooperation Times · Tea Weekly all media has reported on and taken part in many tea competitions; based on our observations and research in recent years, we call for the following: tea competitions are innovative activities beneficial to the industry, and through standardization and upgrading they must better serve the tea industry and help farmers raise incomes in the new era. We must never let low-quality, hole-ridden competitions chill the hearts of tea farmers and cool the good momentum of the tea industry.
First, standardize the organization of tea competitions. It should be said that most tea competitions in recent years have followed a market-oriented path of industry-organization endorsement, tea-enterprise support and tea-region government backing, ensuring an atmosphere of multi-party participation, joint effort, mutual checks and regulation. But it is undeniable that with lower-tier events and organizers of uneven competence, irregularities in the competition process occur from time to time—the “Richun Tea King Competition incident” is proof. We call for regulation from the foundation: the planning and organizing of events. On the basis of past successful experience, a set of basic rules and standard procedures that ensure a competition’s successful and beneficial holding should be formed and well promoted and implemented.
Second, raise the capacity of competition organization and execution. First, set the heart right: remember corporate social responsibility, balance corporate and industry interests, and do the utmost to help farmers improve their craft, solve selling difficulties, and increase output and income. Anyone who harbors the idea of fooling the farmers will in the end lift a stone only to drop it on his own feet—and will find no place in the tea world! Second, raise transparency. “Tea King Competitions” and “tea duels” involve not only farmers’ vital interests but many parties; if the process has flaws and cannot win social trust through openness, fairness and transparency, such an event plants hidden dangers from the start. What raises transparency? A professional, authoritative third-party jury; a contest process subject to inspection and supervision; authoritative and impartial media oversight; participation of notary institutions with public credibility—all are necessary conditions for tea competitions to go far and steady.
China Cooperation Times · Tea Weekly all media believes that “Tea King Competitions,” “tea duels” and “tea-making contests,” once standardized and upgraded, will win the welcome of tea farmers and shine with even more dazzling brilliance.
Produced by: China Cooperation Times · Tea Weekly All Media
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
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