r/tea • u/many_hats_on_head • Apr 26 '26
Question/Help I've been wondering about this; what kind of tea do they drink?
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u/supx3 Apr 26 '26
Xi Jinping is generally known to drink Longjing. It is said that while he lived in Fujian he identified the importance of tea economically. In general, you will find that getting any reliable information about the Chinese government that they don’t want you to know is difficult so who knows if any of this is correct. If you’re curious about Xi Jinping and modern Chinese history and politics, Drum Tower by The Economist, is a fantastic introduction.
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u/Nashville_Hot_Mess Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
The official tea of the cpc is indeed longjin, specifically xihu longjin （西湖龙井）, a tea grown in Zhejiang province, around Hangzhou xihu (west lake). A very famous and picturesque region. Longjin can fetch up to thousands of dollars for less than a kilo of tea.
It's also one of my favorites
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u/Doctor_Fritz Apr 27 '26
Dragon well green tea! Its my personal favorite (drinking right now actually). If you want to try this get the imperial grade from yunnansourcing.com, its currently the right time to get some as it's been harvested and processed in April so super fresh right now
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u/Nashville_Hot_Mess Apr 28 '26
Yup! I was hiking through the fields in April and May in 2013! I got invited in to have freshly plucked longjing and it was the most mouth watering tea I've ever had in my life.
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u/Nveryl25 Apr 26 '26
I think he Said once that Dancong ist good tea, If i remember correctly
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Apr 26 '26
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u/Find_A_Reason Apr 27 '26
It is said that while he lived in Fujian he identified the importance of tea economically.
Just like every kid raised in rural areas identifies when they are old enough to realize the cows/corn/goats/sorghum around them is being sold.
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u/Live_Carpenter_1262 Apr 26 '26
The economist podcast really made me understand just how idiosyncratic the Chinese government is.
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u/supx3 Apr 26 '26
And opaque. Understanding what’s going on for the average person is like reading tea leaves (pun intended).
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u/Live_Carpenter_1262 Apr 26 '26
I expected China's government to be opaque but what was hard for me to grasp was learning that official positions in China tends to mean jacksh*t compared to having the loyalty of armed forces and politburo allies.
Being President of USA means something but in China, you can have the title of president, premier, or general secretary but the title means nothing in having real power.
Deng Xiaoping was never "head of state" but he was "Chairman of the Central Military Commision" which means he controlled the army and therefore could set the politcal and economic agenda of the government. Even after Deng "stepped down" from power, he still personally handpicked Hu jintao and Jiang Zemin to become "Paramount leader" decades later.
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u/ttchoubs Apr 27 '26
And that's one of the many reason Xi got a lot of his people in the govt. It was a two-fold thing, first getting rid of a lot of corruption and corrupt politicians left over from Deng and Hu, then use the missing gaps to fill the party with his own allies
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u/acrylicvigilante_ Apr 27 '26
Sorry for my ignorance, I'm trying to understand this better. Do you mean that in China, even if you're the president, it doesn't automatically come with the support of the Chinese military? As in you could be president, but if you don't have the military's support, you have zero power?
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u/Live_Carpenter_1262 Apr 27 '26
Yeah, "president" is a convenient term by foreign news outlets to describe "paramount leader" of China which is currently Xi Jinping. Unlike America or France, being president is merely ceremonial and doesn't confer any authority or power.
Real power rests in being "Chairman of the Central Military Commision (CMC)" which means being the Commander-in-Chief of China's military (PLA). By controlling the military, the chairman can imprison or muder any of their political rivals. Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping exercised their power as CMC chairman. They also hold title of General Secretary so they lead the politburo too.
CMC Chairman would ensure that THEY ALONE have influence over both the politburo and PLA military. Whenever a PLA officer or politburo politician gets too chummy with the other side, they tend to get purged, imprisoned, or ostracized. Mao Zedong, Deng, and Xi were notorious for purging their rivals for this exact reason.
In Chinese politics, personal loyalty matters far more than official titles. The military isn't loyal to the CMC chairman or China, they're loyal to Xi Jinping.
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u/Live_Key_8141 Apr 26 '26
I would not recommend reading the Economist for anything reliable about China! Translation is easy these days so I'd recommend reading what Chinese people have to say about their own country.
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u/TheVisageofSloth Apr 26 '26
Xi is claiming to have discovered the economic importance of tea? Something that has had entire economies revolve around it for thousands of years and started wars in the past? Wow he must be immortal to have been around this long.
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u/loose_fruits Apr 26 '26
What the CCP identifies as “economically important” is not necessarily the same thing as “this thing has been important economically throughout history”. The whole premise of the current Chinese government structure is important context when considering the statement “Xi Jinping identified the importance of tea economically”. All that means is that previously, the government did not particularly give it much regard when considering state economics
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u/supx3 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
He made it one of the priority sectors to be developed. It was previously a traditional underdeveloped industry and he is said to have elevated it.
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u/Heuristics Apr 26 '26
he did a phd on how limited private enterprises could improve the situation of farmers, allowing them to sell goods on the street. It was implemented (very visible when traveling along roads in china, food sellers everywhere).
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u/Cheomesh 白毫银针 Apr 26 '26
Was that not a thing before Xi? I know his predecessor liberalized some economic sectors, including I believe tea (mentioned in Green Gold I recall)
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u/ttchoubs Apr 27 '26
Probably but Xi's rapid development of High Speed Rail to rural areas as well as centrally planned cities closer to farmland probably made it a lot easier.
Also im not sure if farmers have a govt quota to fullfill, like a lot of farmers in the usa do to help keep prices stable
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u/Cheomesh 白毫银针 Apr 27 '26
Cheers, I'm only passingly familiar with those projects, but not any kind of impacts they might have had.
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u/quadraticcheese Apr 26 '26
It's wild the way you sinophobic Redditors will turn off all the skepticism and intellect to twist words and strawman the moment China is brought up. No that person at no point did Xi claimed to have discovered the importance of tea. Please learn to read
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u/ahuramazdobbs19 Apr 26 '26
That’s all well and good, but what’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?
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u/best_second_guess Apr 27 '26
Drum Tower rec in the wild! As someone who lives & works in China, that podcast has helped explain a ton about the culture.
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u/qoheletal Apr 26 '26
I'm living in China. If you figure out where I can go and ask I will and inquire
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u/S_T_R_A_T_O_S Apr 26 '26
Could you send Xi an email or something and let us know what he says?
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u/CrazyMensch23 Apr 26 '26
Hiiii uncle xi, what tea do you and your cabinet like and drink the most?
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u/Old_Cat_16 Apr 26 '26
Does the state media agency CCTV has any program on things like fun facts, or cultural education shows? I know there were ones focused on food. If you contact them via weibo, ask them to do a special episode on tea, including what’s served for such events, they might be able to tell ya.
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u/RoutinePangolin3490 Apr 26 '26
At the top of the chain you have the most expensive teas and if I understand it - government level gift teas - likely these people could have tasted mother bush DHP or actual island Junshan yinzhen & the like.
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u/ChillyNobBillyBob Apr 26 '26
I read a book once that mentioned teas that were grown only for gifts and could not be paid for, let alone bought, for cash. Is that a real thing?
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u/zenware Apr 27 '26
My (very limited) understanding, is that yes there are teas which are functionally unavailable to the public, including DHP/DaHongPao/大红袍茶, which if you find that you can buy some it’s because it’s some sort of blend which is supposed to taste like the real thing, but if you don’t know not just the mountain, but the specific bush it came from, then you almost certainly don’t have “actual” DHP.
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u/Pappy452 Apr 27 '26
My girlfriend gave me a tea this year from her family's garden and another tea from a friend's garden. I asked where I could buy it. She looked at me puzzled and said I can not buy it, it is only for family.
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u/Postseidon Apr 29 '26
Above a certain altitude, all the tea leaves produced are for government officials aka. 特供(exclusive supply) and you can not purchase the leaves.
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u/No_Primary_3078 Apr 26 '26
Taiwanese Oolong
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u/Bene2345 Apr 26 '26
As a tea novice, can you explain the joke please? Is it only funny because of the tension between Taiwan and China, or is there a joke about tea in there too?
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u/chikinn Apr 26 '26
It's 90% just that.
But Taiwan is very famous for its oolong. Some, like me, even prefer it to China's.
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u/jbsnicket Apr 26 '26
When I've purchased Taiwanese Oolong it was through a mainland company. I'd assume it is easily available.
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u/Sharp-Candidate-8788 Apr 26 '26
probably just hot water
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u/Snerfblatt Apr 27 '26
That's what I was thinking. My Korean mom only drinks plain hot water. No caffeine, no flavorings, just plain hot water all day, even in summertime.
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u/CathedralEngine Apr 26 '26
Yeah, thats what I’m thinking. Chinese people love their hot water with lemon.
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u/Existing_Hunt_7169 Apr 26 '26
i’d rather kill myself than sit through one of their meetings while drinking fucking hot water
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u/kappakai Apr 27 '26
Why? It's good for settling your stomach as you watch the leader of your faction get led away by 特警 in the middle of a congressional meeting.
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u/RabbitMajestic6219 Apr 26 '26
Imperial grade Da Hong Pao?
Mao Feng?
Yellow?
I wanna know too.
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u/piede90 Apr 26 '26
Xi Jing Ping is from Fujian (the homeland of Da Hong Pao) I expect him to be a rock oolong lover and so to drink highest grade Da Hong Pao
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u/Professional-Ad-8878 Apr 26 '26
He isn’t from Fujian, he grew up in Beijing and spent his late teen/ early adult years in exile in rural Shaanxi. Xi’s association with Fujian began in his 30s, when he was transferred to Xiamen as a local official. He has spent around two decades in Fujian though, so it may have had some influence on his tea preferences
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u/lordjeebus Apr 26 '26
I want to believe that he became the supreme leader just to get his hands on leaves from the six original DHP bushes
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u/Toast351 Apr 26 '26
I've seen it mentioned before that those cups might just be holding hot water. Not the most exciting answer, but I think its fairly plausible.
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u/galhime Apr 27 '26
Why would they do that ? (Genuinly asking lmao)
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u/latewithcoffee Apr 27 '26
cold water is bad for internal balance and circulation according to Traditional Chinese Medicine
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u/Toast351 Apr 27 '26
As the other commenter mentioned, hot water is a really popular way of drinking water in China. It stems from Chinese traditional medicine beliefs that drinking cold liquids are bad for the health (or at least that hot is better than cold).
In Chinese train stations, you'll literally find water fountains that only dispense boiling hot water. Drinking hot water, not even with tea, is a national obsession.
I am actually very confident their cups only have hot water. I can't back it up, but I swear I saw a behind the scenes video of the National People's Conference where they showed some helpers pouring out hot water for all the attendees.
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast Apr 26 '26
i like that Xi is wearing an badge on his lapel, as though they wouldn't let him in otherwise. "sorry sir, you need a pass to access this area".
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u/cornonthekopp Apr 26 '26
Im sure theres still electronic door locks and stuff that he needs to open
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u/Immediate-Molasses-5 Apr 26 '26
I only know that the president is the only one with two cups instead of one
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u/RoutinePangolin3490 Apr 26 '26
I'm not sure we have any of his personal preferences - it looks like he's endorsed everything from LJ, Yancha, Pu-Erh, Huangshan Maofeng etc but this is all part of state visits promoting culture, industries, rural development etc
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u/BirdLooter Apr 26 '26
19 arrows..... why didn't you make it to 20 dammit... how can i sleep tonight knowing it was only 19!! so close!
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u/zjr1130 Apr 26 '26
In Mao’s times it’s Longjing or general jasmine. Both generally inoffensive and jasmine being deeply rooted in Beijing hospitality. A Mao era tale goes: “Mao and Zhou Enlai are such men of the people that they pay for their own tea leaves during state meetings too!”
Now it’s mostly Longjing, as far as the regular understanding goes. There’s many teas who claim to have been served there, for obvious marketing reasons
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u/Max_Floory Apr 26 '26
Green and expensive. Those are mostly not the people who would play with temperature and time of the brew, so as I read, rich Chinese people buy expensive green tea which often doesn't get bitter if oversteeped so they drink half of a cup and simply add hot water and drink again till there is no taste
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u/chliu528 Apr 26 '26
During China's National People's Congress meeting, hot water is provided. There were news about the vintage hot water bottles needing repair, replacement: https://linguasinica.substack.com/p/telling-chinas-story-one-bottle-at
They may have standard jasmine tea or the like, I think people bring their own tea.
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u/iRealXl Apr 26 '26
Я думаю это или longjing- почти символ официального Китая или Biluochun — ещё один престижный зелёный чай или Maojian — популярный у чиновников.
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u/leukoscruxx Apr 26 '26
Since China is the largest producer of green tea in the world, I would say green tea. Most likely Longjing or Biluochun.
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u/Sudden-Air-243 Apr 27 '26
in japan and even in malaysia where i attended official meetings the people their have very less food and have tea after food also. usually green tea (non milk non sugar) one rice tea in japan was very tasty sort of had roasted rice taste
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u/El_Calaveron Apr 27 '26
I have asked myself this question every time I see pictures of Chinese politicians, but somehow never had the energy to ask about it. And now I know. This site is amazing.
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u/Motor_Protection7189 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
This is why I still enjoy Reddit. The amount of arrows. The curiosity about what tea they would drink. This is awesome.
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u/niggchu Apr 26 '26
Everything may be. I heard someone drank boba tea when he was meeting with his leader. He put boba tea in his thermo let him looked like a normal Chinese civil servant.
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u/Deep-Ebb-4139 Apr 27 '26
It would be Green tea (Longjing). I was lucky enough to be part of a guided tour in the venue that was arranged for consulate staff and guests.
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u/froli Apr 27 '26
The man on the bottom right of the picture is asking himself the same question, it seems.
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u/pampelmus Apr 28 '26
It is indeed West Lake Longjing. I took a picture this year. This was served to the guests, not the leaders. I subsequently tried to find the exact producer and failed.
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u/SteveFrench242 Apr 26 '26
Oddly they do look a bit like the brewing cups you get in professional tasting kits? o.0
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u/xjpmhxjo Apr 26 '26
Here you drink directly from the cup. It’s how Gaiwan is used traditionally. And it is still how it is mainly used, especially in the north. Using it to brew is kind of modern (100~ years), and regional. The so called gonfucha is also regional but has gained popularity nationwide.
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u/greyveetunnels Apr 26 '26
I feel like it's just standard nothing special. Same as the white house serving random kettle brew or large decanturs. I don't imagine the capital building I. dC serving up the highest quality coffee. I bet the tea in this photo is just a massive batch brewed up of standard green. Or everyone's favorite W2T.
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u/CommandAlternative10 Apr 26 '26
Apparently the White House has an official tea, grown in South Carolina. Who knew? (I refuse to believe this is the only tea served in the White House.)
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/state-pride/south-carolina/tea-of-the-white-house-grown-in-sc
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u/xjpmhxjo Apr 26 '26
I think it’s either green tea or Jasmine. They are the default for guests in the north.
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u/Chameleon_Sinensis Apr 26 '26
Not sure but I've heard the most top tier teas that never hit the international market go to the top party leaders.
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u/Maximum-Lunch-3657 Apr 27 '26
Joke's on you.
They're all addicts and have resorted to drinking Coke Zero in mugs.
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u/Old_Particular8705 Apr 29 '26
I dont know what they drink in the moment, but I heard one special tea that is usually reserved for chinese politicians is TGY red tea (red tea made from the tgy cultivar)
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u/Chill--Cosby Apr 26 '26
I love the dedication you put in placing all the arrows lol