That is one of the main attractions for me to work with them. One of
the top resorts (AAAA China rating) is Tianmu Lake just on the edge of
Liyang. The Mayor regards the tea-eco link as critical and they are
putting a lot of research money into organic methods and
"nonpollution" agriculture.

I'm just finishing writing a book on Great Teas and one of my themes
is that many of the areas for production of great teas are becomin
major tourist attractions -- my model is that Napa and Sonoma are not
just vineyards but tourist meccas. There really need be no conflict
between economic growth and environment. Napa is just a short ride
away from Silicon Valley. Meanwhile we have:

Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka: a fantastic tea in one of the most beautiful
settings in the world
Darjeeling, tea plus a wild town and fantastic environment - the
world's highest railway station, the "toy train"
Liynag, the lake, carps-head soup, and "limpid' waters, with tourism
up from 1-4 million in 4 years
Guranse, Nepal: superb tea and surroundings but, alas, ongoing civil
war
Yunnan; the most exotic Province in China and fabulous teas, including
of course pu-ehr.

One of my messages to the Liyang guys has been that while the US
market is small, with whites and oolongs amounting to maybe 2%, it's
growing fast and what we are looking for and willing to pay for is (1)
organic tea -- you don't get in the game otherwise, (2) non-tea bag,
(3) non fannings in a bag labeled Fortnum and Mason Earl Grey, (4)
Fair Trade -- not just for reasons of altruism but because FT
certification demands organic production.

I'd welcome any ideas relevant to all the above. I am very sensitive
to the ethics of RFDT and am not trying to sell anything. In my book,
I highlight RFDT as a major source of ideas and information for me. I
immensely value the insights and knowledge of the community - I am
just an amateur compared to many of you.

By what way, how do we get rid of that vicious and obscene flow of
disgusting messages about Easter Sunday? I am not at all religious
but this is way beyond any acceptable standard of First Amendment
rights to free speech




On Apr 12, 7:36 pm, "Shen" wrote:
On Apr 12, 3:10 pm, "pgwk" wrote:

Have any of you come across teas from Liyang --mostly greens marketed
domestically plus some Eyebrow white? Also, do you know about their
biennial Tea Exposition which is being held at the end of this month?
I am scheduled to be a plenary speaker at it and want to help them
understand the US great tea market and how to reach tea drinkers
directly. My main theme is that organic tea, Fair Trade, ecotourism
and hte Web specialty sites are the combination for innovation and
benefits to producers, workers -- and tea drinkers. I am interested in
any RFDT messages to the City and Jiansu Province policy makers (my
contacts are the Mayor and Part Secretary, who see white tea as key to
their eco- and economic development) and to the producers/factories
about how Liyang should build its US distribution.

I have seen Mao Feng from this region; although, sadly, I can't
remember what vendor was selling this. I also know that they grow
locally Biluochun and Wild Tujing. As far as this goes, I do not know
who markets these in the US.
In my personal opinion, I am very happy to see that you are addressing
"Organic" and Fair Trade issues. I understand a great deal of study
has been done on the effects of pesticides in Liyang agriculture.
Shen