For over a century, Liubao Tea has been continuously exported through the ancient tea ship route into Southeast Asia, deeply integrating into the daily lives of local Chinese communities.
The September monsoon breezes across the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, adding a cool touch to Malacca's evenings. In front of Wu Kunlun's house, in a simple tea pavilion, more than a dozen tea enthusiasts gather around, savoring the fragrant aroma of Liubao tea, chatting and enjoying each other's company in a harmonious atmosphere.
These tea gatherings have continued for over a decade, with most participants being avid fans of Liubao tea. Over the years, they've formed bonds over their shared love for tea, spending time together tasting, discussing, and purchasing tea, with Liubao tea always being the central topic of conversation.
For many Southeast Asian tea enthusiasts, the cup of tea holds not just the rich and aromatic Liubao tea but also encapsulates the diverse social dynamics and sentiments of their homeland. Because Liubao tea, through its export along the ancient tea ship route in Southeast Asia, has witnessed the region's changes over more than a century and become deeply ingrained in the daily lives of local Chinese communities.
Today, only tourist boats traverse the Malacca River.
Coolie workers from the late Qing Dynasty period in the plantations of Southeast Asia.
Consumer Patterns Can Be Traced
Compared to Hong Kong and Macau, the consumption model of Liubao tea in Southeast Asia and its development over time carry a stronger sense of history.
The book “Overseas Chinese, Chinese, and Chinese Descendants in Southeast Asia” by scholar Chen Liefu records that early Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia mainly came from Fujian and the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. Therefore, the Chinese population in Southeast Asia is primarily composed of people from Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Hakka. Influenced by regional traditions, the tea-drinking habits of Chinese in Southeast Asia remain distinct to this day: Fujianese primarily Drink Oolong tea, those from Guangdong and Guangxi mainly consume Liubao or Pu'er tea, while the Hakka drink both types. This led to an interesting phenomenon where local tea shops had to stock these different teas to meet customer needs.
Looking back, the consumption history of Liubao tea in Southeast Asia can be divided into several phases, with clear developmental patterns.
In the mid-19th century, the trend of Chinese laborers heading south to Southeast Asia emerged, bringing large numbers of people from Guangdong and Guangxi into various parts of the region, accompanied by Liubao tea. During this period, the main consumers of Liubao tea were concentrated in plantation areas, mines, and construction sites where there were dense populations of Chinese laborers. Liubao tea was used as a health tea to quench thirst, relieve heat, and aid digestion.
By the early 20th century, Chinese communities formed and expanded in towns like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Jakarta, and Liubao tea spread into urban life in Southeast Asia. At this time, in Southeast Asian cities, Liubao tea was commonly found at roadside food stalls, primarily consumed by lower-class patrons after meals to aid digestion.
After World War II, changes occurred in the labor system in Southeast Asian plantations, leading to a dispersal of many Chinese laborers, and the use of Liubao tea in plantations gradually declined. By the mid-1950s, with the resurgence of tin mining in Southeast Asia, Chinese laborers concentrated in the mines, and Liubao tea followed. During this period, as the Chinese community grew, Liubao tea became a staple in Chinese households and consumption venues in Chinese neighborhoods.
In the mid-1960s, a sudden shift in the political situation in Indonesia severed the cultural heritage of drinking Chinese Tea among the local Chinese community, causing Liubao tea to fade away there. However, in Singapore and Malaysia, the consumption of Liubao tea continued to deepen, becoming a must-have tea in teahouses and restaurants, with high-quality versions even being considered premium.
Hakka miners in Bangka Belitung during the late Qing Dynasty period.
By the late 1970s, the tin mining industry in Southeast Asia gradually declined, marking the end of Liubao tea consumption and use in the mines. However, by this time, Liubao tea had firmly taken root in Southeast Asia, especially in the Chinese communities of Singapore and Malaysia.
From the 1980s to the present, despite the relentless shifts brought about by the passage of time, the Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia continue to incorporate Liubao tea into their daily lives…
Nostalgia for “Miner's Tea”
The wave of Chinese laborers heading to Southeast Asia in the mid-19th century marked the beginning of a large-scale export of Liubao tea to the region, rapidly extending the ancient tea ship route into Southeast Asia.
Data cited in the book “Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia” shows that between 1860 and 1900, more than two million Chinese laborers entered various parts of Southeast Asia. These laborers were mainly concentrated in plantations in Borneo, Java, Sumatra, tin mines in Bangka, Belitung, and the Malay Peninsula, as well as development zones in port cities such as Singapore, Penang, and Jakarta. Particularly in the tin mines, there was a high concentration of Chinese miners.
In the mines, the working and living conditions faced by Chinese laborers were extremely harsh. The “Donghua Records of the Guangxu Era” contains records stating, “Chinese working in the tin mines of Bangka suffer indescribable hardships. Most work in depressions, where water flows down, and the mine owners do not provide pumps. The laborers spend their days in the water, suffering from dampness and hunger, making them particularly prone to illness. Unusual weather brings constant outbreaks of disease, with the dead lying everywhere.”
Under such harsh conditions, the Chinese laborers turned to the Liubao tea they brought with them as a “life-saving tea.” Zhao Meiling, a tea enthusiast from Malaysia, says that in such poor conditions, miners who worked long hours without proper health care would lose motivation, so the mine owners often provided Liubao tea free of charge. Due to its extensive use in the mines, low price, and health benefits, Liubao tea became known as “miner's tea.”
Tea houses still exist today in Jonker Street, Malacca, Malaysia.
Liubao tea once sold by Kwong Chun Tea Shop in Singapore.
As demand increased, the Liubao tea that Chinese laborers brought with them could no longer satisfy the need, making large-scale tea trade inevitable. Deng Bingqiang, a descendant of the Ying Ji Tea Shop in Liubao Town, mentioned that in the early 20th century, his family's shop sold large quantities of “miner's tea” to Southeast Asia through the Guangyuan Tai Tea Shop in Guangzhou.
After the mid-1950s, a new wave of tin mining in Southeast Asia led to another surge in the use of Liubao tea in the mines of Malaysia and Indonesia. In the 1970s, Wu Kunlun worked in the tin mines of Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, and Liubao tea was his daily beverage. Reflecting on the past, Wu Kunlun said, “At that time, there were hundreds of tin mines in Perak with tens of thousands of workers. Mining companies provided free meals and