Chapter 2: Literature Review文獻綜述

 

2.1 Tea Culture2.1茶文化

茶，從古代到現在，不僅僅是一種產品，但也有其文化屬性，它可以轉變為調整后的文化差異。從Jolliffe聲明（2007），它描述了不同的亞文化是茶文化的轉型產品，如“茶藝”在中國，“茶”在日本，“下午茶”，在英國，“茶壺”在俄羅斯。此外，茶文化也被當作一種“遺傳的，持續的，可持續的，優秀的，精神和創造性的“文化（程、徐、張2010）。其實，茶文化起源于中國，可追溯到公元前2700年（漢2007）。當時，茶葉通常是常用的一種醫用草藥（漢2007）。

Tea, from ancient times to the present, is not just a product, but also has its cultural attribute, whichcould be transited for adjusted culture differences. From the statement of Jolliffe (2007), it described that diverse sub-cultures were the products of tea culture transformation, such as “art of tea” in China, “they way of tea” in Japan, “afternoon tea” in Great Britain, and “samovar” in Russia. Moreover, tea culture also was treated as a type of “inheritable, continual, sustainable, excellent, spiritual and creative” culture (Cheng, Xu& Zhang 2010). Actually, tea culture was originated from China, which could be tracked back to 2,700 B.C (Han 2007). At that time, tea was usually and commonly used as a sort of herb for medical usage (Han 2007). 

 

隨著茶的使用日益普及，茶成為飲料在中國從公元前59年（漢2007）。茶行業的日益普及，也為擴大和發展茶文化提供了基礎。唐代從公元618年到公元907年間，茶的普及達到頂峰（程、徐、張2010）。從公元618年到公元907年的同一時期，茶也發揮其文化和經濟的影響在整個世界（程、徐、張2010）。越來越多的茶和飲茶的方法原理已傳遍世界。With the increasing popularity of tea usage, tea became a drink in China from 59 B.C (Han 2007). Before Chinese Tang Dynasty, China has become the first country to do tea trades, including exporting tea to different countries (Japan, Korea, India and Central Asia Area) (Cheng, Xu& Zhang 2010). The increasing popularity of tea trades also provides a foundation for expanding and developing tea culture. During the period of Tang Dynasty from A.D 618 to A.D 907, the popularity of tea reached to its peak (Cheng, Xu& Zhang 2010). At the same period from A.D 618 to A.D 907, tea also exerted its cultural and economic influences in the entire world (Cheng, Xu& Zhang 2010). The principle of growing tea and the method of drinking tea has been spread all around the world.  

 

Wang (2001) investigated that the core idea of tea culture in China was harmony, which could be found in the art of tea. He also indicated that the principle of Chinese tea culture is a type of visible art and invisible law (Wang 2001). This so-called invisible law means the spirits of tea culture, which was hugely affected by Chinese philosophy in ancient times. The first and famous school of theory was Confucianism, which was aim to be peaceful and moderate (Wang 2001). It also was seen as the central principle of tea culture for pushing great amounts of people to drink tea. The second school of theory was Taoism, which was aim to pursue the natural balance (Wang 2001). Finally, the third school of theory was Buddhism, which was aim to be calm (Wang 2001). Buddhists wish people to do more deep thinking in the process of enjoy tea (Wang 2001). #p#分頁標題#e#

 

2.2 Pu’erTea Industry普洱茶

Pu’er city government recently emphasized to take developing Pu’er tea industry as their recent goal in accordance with the Decision of Developing Tea Industry (Xiong&Peng 2013).  Government decided to cultivate tea industry, especially the growth of Pu’er tea (Xiong&Peng 2013). At the present time, Pu’er city has over 100 towns of 10 counties and 121 towns to grow tea, which covered 102 thousands of acres (Xiong&Peng 2013). Furthermore, in Pu’er city, more than 1 million tea farmers were in charging of cultivating tea (Xiong&Peng 2013). Almost 150 companies handled with tea processing, which have 10 thousands of employees (Xiong&Peng 2013). Their annual tea production and processing would exceed 6 billion CNY, and tea products also very popular in such provinces as Capital Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong or Hong Kong (Xiong&Peng 2013). 

Pu’er tea was always a traditional and advantageous industry in Pu’er city. Due to Pu’er’s specialty of keeping healthy, great taste and high value of storage, it greatly meets people’s pursuit of maintaining healthy condition and increasing culture qualities. These above causes led to the drastic development of Pu’er tea in the recent years. However, since the revival ofPu’er tea industry was only lasted a decade of years, problems still existed in the process of developing, which would result to the certain bad consequence of sustainably developing Pu’er tea industry in the coming years (Xiong&Peng 2013).Wang (2001) demonstrated that Pu’er city has lots of tea start-up companies, and a large number of founders contain few knowledge of growing Pu’er tea. These facts all resulted to a disordered and unregulated tea market in Pu’er city. Meanwhile, because of certain illegal practices and too much hyped-up, majorities of consumers were inclining to check the year and old tea trees rather than examine the tea itself (Xiong&Peng 2013).). Hence, substantial fake tea products were threw into market in order to obtain huge benefits, leading to a result that it finally damaged consumers’ benefits and exerted a bad consequence to  Pu’er market. 

 

What is more, market position of Pu’er tea was not correct as well (Xiong&Peng 2013).). Pu’er tea should locate its main consumers on concerning health maintenance. Pu’er’s special taste and art of producing and processing won the favor from consumers. However, currently government and local companies overestimated the funcations of hyped-up, which made they prefer to exaggerate the storage year and production of Pu’er tea. These above behaviors did hurt the position of Pu’er tea in the minds of consumers (Xiong&Peng 2013). What is worse, increasing amounts of consumers were lack of confidence about Pu’er tea market. 85% consumers showed their worries in the qualities of Pu’er tea, and the rest of them remained neutrality (Xiong&Peng 2013). From the investigation of Tea Industry Development Report (Wang 2001), it indicated that over 70% of professionals considered that it was risky to invest tea market, because of its unregulated market order.  Finally, low productivity wad led by the outdated development of technology and unprofessional employees. Traditional production method and advancing technical production method were coexisted, making the industrial order to be unreasonable (Xiong&Peng 2013). Most tea production companies were created and operated by families, so that founders could not take more concentrations on running the business (Xiong&Peng 2013). #p#分頁標題#e#

 

2.3 Tea Marketing Strategies茶葉市場戰略

From the perspective of product strategy, Nowadays, many Pu'ertea enterprises were lack of the products brand strategy, such as how the enterprise products could enter into the fierce competition in the tea market (Lee 2004). In Pu'er tea market, there was a big difference in product quality of many Pu'ertea enterprises, and what is worse, the quality of many manufacturers of products was not guaranteed and lack of stability (Lee 2004). If the product quality could be guaranteed, it definitely could establish company brand image, and lay the foundation for the development of enterprises in the market. But most of the enterprise brand awareness only remains in how to build brands, rather than how to establish a good brand (Lee 2004).  Part of Pu'ertea enterprises produced certain products that were s only focusing for a target group (Lee 2004). Moreover, their product packaging was very traditional, and outdated. Most products used a similar packaging for different levels of products, leading to the fact that it was difficult to distinguish Pu'ertea grade for consumers (Lee 2004).

 

From the strategies of channel, manyPu'ertea enterprises do not have reasonable strategies to deal with distribution channels (Lee 2004). So, once the new products were listed on the large-scale investment, they would not follow the accordance with the characteristics of products to design the length, width and density distribution channels (Lee 2004). There were no strict criteria to filter clients, and what they always hope was to carry out transactions with every single consumer. But usually, these companies got a lot of consumers who did not generate profits.  If Pu'ertea enterprises want to pick out those customers with higher lifetime value, it is of importance and necessity to be tailored for the enterprise channel standard. First of all, the company should look for customers for seeing who could cater to their value proposition and comply with the company's core competence (Lee 2004).If the client is an influential type of leader, this kind of customers may have an important significance in that they would affect other customers and the company contact.

 

2.4 Relationships between Tea Culture and Tea Industry茶文化與茶產業之間的關系

Pu'er tea culture‘ spread and the development of tea industry is inseparable, because Pu'er tea culture must be based on Pu'ertea products as the carrier (Beijing Normal University 2006). And the prosperity of Pu'er tea culture will promote the development of tea industry economy on Pu'er Tea (Beijing Normal University 2006). That is to say, the development of tea industry Pu'er Tea spawned that of Pu'ertea culture, and tea culture and Pu'er tea also promoted the development of tea industry (Beijing Normal University 2006). In fact, Pu'ertea culture and tea consumption basically contained a synchronous growth withPu'er Tea’s material consumption, and they also promoted each other, complemented each other, for getting together to form a diversified Pu'ertea consumption pattern in the market (Beijing Normal University 2006).#p#分頁標題#e#

 

2.5 Relationships Between Tea Industry and Tea Marketing Strategies茶產業和茶營銷策略之間的關系

Based upon the above outlook of Pu’er tea industry, the correlation between tea industry and developing strategies could be draw out (Xiong&Peng 2013). In the first place, industry management and the ability of self-reflection in tea industry should be increased (Xiong&Peng 2013). A better industry management could produce a correspondently great ability of self-reflection. Currently, there were only two regulations about tea industry management: 1) Integrated Standards of Pu’er tea; and 2) Regulations of Trademark Management on Pu’er tea (Xiong&Peng 2013). Even though government provided these two rules for Pu’er tea companies and producers, they still were not on the right track to follow those regulations. Thus, related departments of government should increase the industry management, and regulate their performances in the market for guaranteeing the unified qualities of Pu’er tea and maintaining the reputation of Pu’er tea (Xiong&Peng 2013).  In the second place, the development of Pu’er tea should be industrial, market oriented and corporate (Xiong&Peng 2013).  Industrial management of tea industry would be most effective and efficient way to assist the development of Pu’er tea in order to make Pu’er tea that entered into market to be qualified and organized (Xiong&Peng 2013). And lastly, the increment of Pu’er tea promotion should be accomplished for creating a chance to enter into the global world (Xiong&Peng 2013).  Finding an appropriate position in the world for Pu’er tea could increase the market share of Pu’er tea. In the mean time, it is effective to combine with industrial principle and marketing strategies, which could increase the attraction of Pu’er tea for global consumers and researchers (Xiong&Peng 2013). 

 

Reference: 文獻
 

Beijing Normal University 2006, Research of Pu’er tea culture and industrial development, Chinese Economy, vol.9, no.3, pp.54-58

Cheng, S. Xu, F & Zhang J 2010, Tourist’ attitudes toward tea: a case study in Xinyang, China, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, vol.27, no.1, pp.211-220

Han PLK 2007, ‘Tea and Tourism: Tourists, traditions and transformations’, Channel View Publications,Clevedon

Jolliffe, L 2007, ‘Connecting tea and tourism’, Channel View Publications, Clevedon.

Lee, XX 2004, ‘Yunnan Tea Industry Development Research’, Yunan Technical Press, China

Wang L 2001, ‘Chinese Tea Culture: the origin of tea drinking’, pelanduk Publications, Malaysia

Xiong CY &Peng YJ 2013, An analysis of Current Industrial Situations and Developing Strategies of Pu’er tea, Tea Industry of Guang Dong Province, vol.3, no.7, pp.12-16#p#分頁標題#e#