Spring tea expo opens in Beijing

The 20th Beijing International Tea and Tea Ceremony Exhibition (spring edition) opens at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing, April 17-20, 2026. [Photo by Liu Sitong]

The 20th Beijing International Tea and Tea Ceremony Exhibition (spring edition) opened April 17 at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing and runs through April 20.

The exhibition area spans a record 30,000 square meters, housing 700 domestic and overseas tea businesses across 1,300 booths.

Highlighting freshly harvested spring teas, the show features famous varieties including Longjing, Pu'er and jasmine, alongside tea ware such as Yixing purple clay teapots and Jingdezhen ceramics.

Visitors can enjoy tea ceremonies, sample different flavors at various booths and take part in other activities including a tasting contest, a traditional Chinese costume contest and promotional events for Sri Lankan and Nepali tea.

To mark World Book and Copyright Day on April 23 and China's first national reading week — falling in the fourth week of April — organizers hosted a seminar on tea-themed books on opening day and released a list of 30 recommended titles on tea culture.

Tea drinking has grown in popularity in recent years as a marker of healthy living.

Global tea imports reached 1.98 million tons in 2025, up 5.16% year on year, Zhai Huqu, honorary president of the China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation, said at the opening ceremony. China ranked first globally with 3.92 million tons of overall tea output, while exports rose 11.95% year on year to rank second in the world.