Keen to stay relevant among younger consumers, China’s state-owned post office just opened a teahouse in Foshan, Guangdong.
The teahouse, which is situated in Chancheng district in downtown Foshan, opened its doors to locals on May 19. Designed with the “new Chinese-style tea” trend in mind, the shop incorporates modern and traditional motifs, as well as making use of the deep green of the China Post logo.
![Credit: China Post/ Xiaohongshu](https://daoinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image_20230602172042-1024x684.jpg)
![Credit: China Post/ Xiaohongshu](https://daoinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image_20230602172045-1024x684.jpg)
![Credit: China Post/ Xiaohongshu](https://daoinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image_20230602172049-1024x684.jpg)
![Credit: China Post/ Xiaohongshu](https://daoinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image_20230602172056-768x1024.jpg)
![Credit: China Post/ Xiaohongshu](https://daoinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image_20230602172059-1024x684.jpg)
![Credit: China Post/ Xiaohongshu](https://daoinsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image_20230602172103-1024x684.jpg)
The shop has plenty of communal seating around round tables, so passers-by can pop in to socialise while they enjoy tea or alternatively they can browse the traditional tea items on display. An ice cream store selling low-sugar options called PostGelato also opened next door to Post Tea.
A revival of traditional Chinese tea-drinking culture has been a major trend of the last few years, with “new Chinese style teahouse” becoming the most popular and long-lasting iteration. The trend is reflected in a penchant for wooden and ceramic tea items combined with a more modern, artsy space – often an open-plan room in earthy tones.
The hashtag “new Chinese-style teahouse” has over 9 million views on the lifestyle-sharing app Xiaohongshu, underscoring why China Post is keen to join in on what appears to be a new era of tea consumption among China’s Gen Zers.
This is not China Post’s first foray into hospitality, having opened a bubble tea store in 2021 to a muted reception. This was followed by a coffee shop in 2022 alongside the multiple China Post-affiliated supermarkets, pharmacies, and bakeries opening over the past two years.
New Chinese-style tea may fit China Post best as a branding tool, with the increasingly nostalgic connotations of postal mail in the eyes of Gen Z complementing the long heritage of tea drinking.