FROM TE TO TEA.docVIP

FROM TE TO TEA 　　A cup of hot oolong tea blended with the aroma of the sweet-scented osmanthus flower. That is a special drink Chen Guixiang makes for her customers. Both the tea and the flowers are grown in her family’s own gardens in Anxi， a county in southeast China’s Fujian Province， which is nicknamed the tea capital of China due to the wide variety of oolong tea it produces. 　　Chen’s tiny tea shop is located in the arcade of a three-storied Southeast Asian- style building near Zhongshan Road， the commercial heart of Xiamen， one of Fujian’s major cities as well as an important coastal city in China. The décor―from the copy of the celebrated Buddhist text Heart Sutra in Chinese hanging on the wall to the traditional teaware on display， wooden furniture and stone sculptures―makes her L-shaped shop an oasis of peace and calm. Her sister runs another tea shop a block away. 　　The bond of Chen’s family with tea be- gan with her great-great-grandfather in the late 19th century. All the family members would return home to help pick tea leaves and make tea during the harvest seasons every spring and autumn. Her father， 52-yearold Chen Shuiwang， invented a new flavor by blending oolong tea with osmanthus flowers. 　　Chen Guixiang and her friends have signed a contract with other local tea gardens to enlarge production. She has also introduced online marketing in the wake of e-commerce. 　　“It’s been 10 years since my tea shop opened，” the 31-year-old explained. “My elderly neighbors， who are in their 80s or 90s， love to share their stories with me whenever they are drinking tea. I’m not a local here， but I can tell how deep their love for the beverage is.” 　　Chen first worked as a kindergarten teacher， then as a human resources officer， then as an accountant. It was tea that pulled her back into the family business. Tea， in her eyes， is the healthiest drink in the world after water， opening up a deep-felt sense. “Before having a cup of good tea， you must clear yo