Originating in China, tea is part of the country's culture and people's lives. However, in some cases, tea has been transformed from agricultural produce into a luxury product that many consumers cannot afford.

The Qingming Festival (also known as Tomb-Sweeping Festival) holiday, which falls in early April each year, is a critical period for tea trading. After this year's festival, news that a batch of 10-kg fresh tea leaves had been sold for 10.68 million yuan ($1.6 million) sparked debate on social media. It is said the tea tree that produced the tea is 3,200 years old.

Some consumers think that the price of tea should not be used to determine its quality, and that it is this kind of consumption psychology that leads to sky-high tea prices.

Chairman of the China Tea Marketing Association Wang Qing said that this issue has plagued the market and consumers in recent years. Relying on unaccredited experts to assess the quality of teas instead of relying on industry standards has resulted in a more chaotic market.

There are 166 national standards, as well as 171 industry standards, but all of these are recommended rather than mandatory. Furthermore, these standards only focus on basic aspects such as the characteristics of each type of tea but do not clarify the rules of grading and pricing. This becomes a source of privilege for tea companies.

Wang said that building mandatory standards for the industry is the basis for an orderly market.

(Print Edition Title: Tea Market)