A Cup of Tea, A Meeting of Minds: TAETEA at the 2026 Reviving Craft Exhibition in London

BEIJING, Sept. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Haiwainet, the website of the overseas edition of the People's Daily, today reported that the 2026 "Reviving Craft - Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design" exhibition ("Reviving Craft"), organised by Sun Media Group, is being held at Somerset House in London from 16 to 27 September 2026. On 16 September 2026, Somerset House in London welcomed a waft of tea fragrance carried from the deep mountains of Yunnan. As an official special project of the London Design Festival, the 2026 "Reviving Craft — Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design" exhibition ("Reviving Craft"), hosted by Sun Media Group, officially opened its doors. TAETEA, a representative brand of Chinese Pu'er tea, brought a selection of its classic teas including the TAETEA Great Wall Ripe Pu'er Brick Tea, 7572 Ripe Pu'er Tea, Golden Needle White Lotus Ripe Pu'er Tea, and TAETEA Legend 1975 Raw and Ripe Pu'er Tea. Through a tea experience that could be seen, smelled, tasted and felt, the brand presented to the world the craftsmanship, passage of time and wisdom of everyday life embodied in a single leaf of tea from the East.

Objects as a Bridge, Minds at the Core: Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Enters the World's Creative Stage

"Reviving Craft — Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design" is an international touring exhibition of Chinese intangible cultural heritage initiated by Sun Media Group. Following its Paris exhibition in 2024 and Milan exhibition in 2025, the 2026 London exhibition at Somerset House marks the third stop of the series. The exhibition is jointly curated by SU Dan, Professor at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and former Deputy Director of the China National Arts and Crafts Museum (China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum), and YANG Lan, veteran media figure and Chairperson of Sun Media Group. The curatorial theme has evolved from "Human and Nature" in Paris and "Human and Society" in Milan to "Human and Self" in London, continuing to foster dialogue between Chinese intangible cultural heritage, contemporary life and international design within the cultural context of one of the world's great design capitals.

Following this approach, the London exhibition takes "Reflection of the Mind" as its theme, structured around three sections: "Clear the Mind", "Refine the Mind" and "Nourish the Mind". Using objects as a medium, it guides visitors to look inward and experience the Eastern spirit of "mind and object in unity". Through contemporary design, immersive staging and interactive experiences, the exhibition brings traditional craftsmanship out of static display and back into contemporary life. This philosophy resonates naturally with TAETEA's own brand ethos of "cherish tea, love people": a single cup of tea to settle the mind and body, a single tea gathering to bring people together, making Pu'er tea a vivid vessel through which international audiences can experience Chinese heritage craftsmanship and Eastern aesthetics of living.

Tea Fragrance Fills London: Four Classic Teas Bring Intangible Cultural Heritage to Life

For the London exhibition, TAETEA selected four representative tea products to tell its brand story: the TAETEA Great Wall Ripe Pu'er Brick Tea, with its rectangular form evoking mountains and rivers; the 7572 Ripe Pu'er Tea, a classic ripe Pu'er tea with more than five decades of history, embodying the mellowness of time; the Golden Needle White Lotus Ripe Pu'er Tea, whose delicate lotus aroma reveals layered depth in the cup; and the TAETEA Legend 1975 Raw and Ripe Pu'er Tea, whose contrasting raw and ripe profiles tell the story of Eastern philosophy of transformation and balance inherent to Pu'er tea. Each tea is both a product and a living vessel through which TAETEA's tea-making craftsmanship enters contemporary life.

Since the exhibition opened, the TAETEA tea section has become a key space for interaction and exchange. Tea masters from TAETEA are on hand to present the elegant TAETEA Eight Rituals, along with tea table design and flower arrangement, showcasing elements of Chinese culture.

On 18 September, exhibition initiator Yang Lan visited the TAETEA tea section for a conversation with ZHANG Yafeng, Chairman of TAETEA Group, on how intangible cultural heritage can enter contemporary life and reach the world. Zhang Yafeng said:

"For us, taking part in this exhibition is not simply about showcasing products; it's about showing how Chinese intangible cultural heritage can be brought to life through contemporary design and renewed through international exchange. Heritage that can truly live in the present and reach the world must be rooted in tradition while embracing modern innovation. Through a cup of Pu'er tea that can be tasted, felt and shared, TAETEA hopes to help more people understand the contemporary value of Chinese intangible cultural heritage."

During the tasting at the exhibition, Zhang Yafeng observed that the mellow and smooth character of the 7572, the delicate elegance of the Golden Needle White Lotus, and the contrasting flavours of the Legend 1975 raw and ripe teas, while each distinct in character, all point to the same consistent quality and clarity of craftsmanship. A classic need not remain fixed in the past, but can withstand the test of time as well as appreciation across different cultural contexts. One London-based design professional commented after the tasting: "The layers of flavour and the sense of time held within are captivating — it's not just a beverage, but a philosophy of time you can taste."

From National Recognition to Heritage of Humanity: TAETEA Keeps "Living Heritage" Alive Through Innovation

Behind every cup of Pu'er tea that travels across mountains and seas lies a lineage of craftsmanship spanning more than eighty years. Menghai Tea Factory, the core enterprise of TAETEA Group, was founded in 1940. At that time, in support of the war effort, Fan Hejun, a graduate of the University of Paris, travelled to remote Menghai in Yunnan to establish the Fohai Experimental Tea Factory, driving the mechanisation and standardisation of China's tea industry. Since then, from the breakthrough in wet-piling fermentation for ripe Pu'er tea in the 1970s to ongoing scientific innovations such as microbial tea-making, TAETEA has continually responded to new demands in quality and lifestyle while remaining rooted in traditional craftsmanship.

In 2008, "TAETEA tea processing techniques" were inscribed on China's National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2016, TAETEA developed its "microbial tea-making method", further advancing the scientific research of Pu'er tea fermentation technology. In 2022, "Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China" were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with TAETEA's tea processing techniques becoming one of its 44 sub-projects. From national to global recognition, the value of this craft lies not only in its preservation, but in its continued presence in today's production, aesthetics and daily life.

To ensure that experience can be passed on and quality can be consistently reproduced, TAETEA applies full-process control over raw materials, production and finished goods through its OTCA Good Pu'er Value Evaluation System, its Golden Standard for premium Pu'er tea, and its "Three Poles and Nine Tripods" system of 108 heritage processing steps. At the same time, the company continues to pursue tea ceremony research, talent development and multilingual cultural outreach, building a brand system that extends from a single tea leaf to an entire way of life.

Since 2011, TAETEA has steadily expanded into overseas markets, repeatedly using tea as a medium at international exhibitions, cultural forums and diplomatic tea gatherings, enabling Pu'er tea to go beyond being a product exported overseas and become a gentle language for conveying Chinese culture.

Tea as a Bridge: Helping the World Understand the Contemporary Value of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage

TAETEA's collaboration with Reviving Craft stems from a shared understanding of the contemporary value of intangible cultural heritage: traditions with genuine vitality should not remain confined to display cases and written descriptions, but should continue to be used, experienced and discussed today; likewise, truly effective international communication is not simply about exporting cultural symbols, but about creating concrete experiences that people can take part in and connect with emotionally. Reviving Craft establishes a cultural context through international exhibitions and contemporary curation, while TAETEA brings the idea to life through its enduring tea-making craftsmanship and tea ceremony traditions. Together, the two are helping Chinese tea move beyond simply "taking products overseas" towards a deeper form of "cultural arrival".

Taking the London exhibition as a new starting point, both parties look forward to further exploring international exhibitions, cultural dialogue, immersive tea experiences and content co-creation in the future, enabling more audiences overseas to discover Pu'er tea and understand Chinese heritage through genuine, natural exchange, while also witnessing the cultural confidence that contemporary Chinese brands are forging between heritage and innovation.

From Menghai in Yunnan to the banks of the Thames in London, a single tea leaf crosses more than a geographical distance. What it carries is the Chinese people's respect for time, attentiveness to nature, and dedication to craftsmanship, along with the warmth of welcoming guests with tea and connecting through harmony. At the "Reflection of the Mind" exhibition, TAETEA invites the world to first sense China through a sip of tea, before moving from taste to understanding and resonance. This is both the vitality of intangible cultural heritage continuing to grow in the present day, and a more composed, far-reaching expression of Chinese brands on the world stage.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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