(Editor's note) Golden Autumn October, New China celebrates its 72nd birthday. Around us, there are such a special group of companies, they are the same age as the new China. During the 72 years of development, they have merged into the joint and upward growth rings of the motherland at all times. They witnessed the development of New China; they witnessed the rise of New China. Hubei Daily All-media reporters walked into this group of companies that were "the same age" as New China and listened to their new stories.
When the car arrives at Zhaoli Bridge in Chibi City, a unique aroma of brick tea blows out.
The word "Chuan" hung densely along the road. green brick tea billboard reminds people-this is the location of Zhaoliqiao tea factory , the hometown of Chinese green brick tea.
Since the first green brick tea was off the assembly line in September 1949, Zhao Liqiao Tea Factory has turned 72 years old. "Kang Dang, Dang Dang..." On September 26, only 4 days before the National Day, the production lines here were running as they did in the past, using the normal production rhythm to celebrate New China and its own "birthday."
Now, as the only "Chinese time-honored" tea company in Hubei, the annual comprehensive output value of Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory has reached 800 million yuan. business card".
Only with the national fortune, can there be enterprise.
Blue brick tea, a necessities for the life of the Northwest minorities. The Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory, which is thousands of kilometers away from the grassland people, is working hard for the herdsmen’s "a cup of tea" every day.
The fresh leaves of the finished car are pulled back, and after finishing, kneading, sun drying, steaming, molding, pressing, and forming, a piece of green brick tea is off the assembly line. So far, more than 430,000 tons of frontier tea has gone off the production line and shipped to the border of the motherland.
"Zhao Liqiao Tea Factory is the same age as the country and is connected to the national transport." Jin Li, general manager of Hubei Tea Industry Group and head of Zhao Liqiao Tea Factory, is proud of the company's "red gene".
At the beginning of October 1949, Jin Jichuan, the military representative, was ordered to lead his staff to Yangloudong . On the basis of receiving the Hubei Provincial Bank Fuxing Tea Factory, the national capital Yixing Tea Company, and Juxingshun Tea Company, the "China Tea Company Yangloudong Brick Tea Factory" and started to use the "Chuan" trademark to produce the famous "Chuan" blue brick tea. In 1953, the company moved from Yangloudong to Zhaoliqiao and changed its name to "Chinese Tea Company Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory".
The Chuanzi Tea Museum of the tea factory is the original sorting workshop. Huaxiang library hanging screen group, steamed vegetable wood, noodle tea picking plate, pressure bar type press , slab brick scale...A number of outdated wooden equipments tell people about the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Production scene of Liqiao Tea Factory.
In the 1970s, with the support of experts, Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory developed the first domestic tea press production line, which greatly improved the mechanization of brick tea production. "In order to ensure the demand for border trade, our production line has not stopped for a day from the day it started." Jin Li said proudly.
Pieces of green brick tea have crossed a long road and become a good story of national unity. Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory has repeatedly won the honorary title of "National Model Group of National Unity and Progress". At the beginning of the 21st century, the "Chuan" green brick tea was awarded the "Chinese Time-honored Brand".
road, getting wider and wider
In the transition from "plan" to "market", the road of Zhao Liqiao tea became "narrow" for a while. The tea factory realized that the days when a brick tea hit the world had changed, and they wanted to "start a business" again!
Technically, boldly try-
Gan Duoping, became an employee of Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory at the age of 17. He has done brick tea making almost all the time and has become the representative inheritor of the fourth generation of the national intangible cultural heritage "Zhao Liqiao Brick Tea Making Skills".
"Traditional brick tea is large, not portable, and cannot meet the needs of current consumers." Gan Duoping led a technical team to develop new "light" brick tea categories such as granular tea and teabags.
A stylish "light" brick tea, with round tea cubes wrapped in a chess coat, tea cubes shaped like moon cakes, and many "national style" suits. "While changing the shape, we studied the ratio of the leaves and stems of the tea cubes to ensure the original taste." Jin Li said, according to market needs, Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory invested about 30 million yuan in 2019 to build an automated brick tea pressing production line , Qingzhuan tea packaging line, chocolate brick tea production line, chocolate brick tea cutter, etc.
The trendy "light" brick tea has been in short supply since its introduction. The hottest new chocolate tea has an annual sales of 7 million yuan.
In the market, boldly enter the market——
"Through market research, we found that southerners prefer the taste of green brick tea, and northerners prefer health and culture." Jin Li said, through the development of products with different flavors, the current "Chuan" green brick tea has been sold all over the country. In 2019, sales in tea factories surpassed side sales for the first time.
Last year, a sudden new crown pneumonia epidemic drove the Zhaoliqiao tea factory onto a new track-the online market. Within a month, the tea factory set up a live broadcast team. In May of this year, in the Taobao Wei Ya live broadcast room, 30,000 chocolate-shaped tea bricks were sold out in just over ten minutes.
road, getting wider as you go.
Nowadays, Zhao Liqiao brick tea making skills have a sixth-generation inheritor, mainly "post-90s". "They are active in thinking and are constantly trying new ideas." Jin Li said that after solving the problem of food and clothing, people are more advocating health, and the green brick tea is fermented tea, which is in line with the general health trend. It can be cleaned or mixed. Young people also like to use it to make milk tea.
is passed down from generation to generation, and it will last forever.
Pieces of green brick tea are shipped from here and become the business card of friendly exchanges between China and the world.
"This tea is delicious!" "Amazing!" In 2018 and 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promoted Hubei to the world twice.Blue brick tea with the word "Chuan" has attracted a lot of attention.
Blue brick tea, which is in line with the general health trend and has a "high-value", has become a "souvenir" on some important occasions.
In February last year, at the most severe moment of the epidemic in China, Mongolian President Battulga visited China and announced a gift of 30,000 sheep to China. These 30,000 "warm sheep" were processed from Inner Mongolia and shipped to Hubei.
The heart-warming blessing sheep tripod helps China fight the epidemic, and the blue bricks with the word "Chuan" give back to Mongolia's brotherhood. On December 23, 2020, one of the daily necessities presented by Hubei to Mongolia, 30,000 pieces of "Chuan" green brick tea was shipped from Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory to Mongolia.
Passed on from generation to generation, it will last forever. Do not forget the original intention and maintain the unique quality of Qingzhuan Tea.
Insisting on innovation and keeping up with the market, the sales structure of Zhaoliqiao Tea Factory has undergone a historic change, with border sales and domestic sales each taking up half.
"Not only selling products, but also making Chinese culture smell farther along with the green brick tea." Jin Li said that Zhao Liqiao Tea Factory will continue to improve its craftsmanship and products, with its long-standing culture and unique taste. The "One Belt One Road" market opportunity will play a leading role in expanding and strengthening Hubei's industrial industrial chain, and let China's brick tea fragrance "One Belt One Road".
(Hubei Daily full media reporter Liao Zhihui, trainee reporter Peng Yibo)
.
