Terroir and Green Tea in China: The Case of Meijiawu Dragon Well (Longjing) Tea

Selina Ching Chan

Chapter 11 in Geographical Indications and International Agricultural Trade, 2012, pp 226-238 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The concept of terroir has been widely associated with evaluating agricultural products, especially wine, tea and coffee. Terroir is often translated as ‘a sense of place’, seen from both physical and cultural perspectives. In terms of the physical aspect, terroir entails how a number of factors such as environment, territory, microclimates, soil aptitudes, and ecology affect the quality of agricultural products (Guy, 2003, pp. 41–2; Fanet, 2001, p. 10). The cultural aspect of terroir is involved with how the subtle interaction of environmental factors with human skills determines the quality of products (ibid.). In other words, the traditional knowledge and skills in the local place is of particular importance to the understanding of terroir (Amilien, 2005, p. 6). Terroir also determines quality and typicality, which characterizes a collective taste memory of specific products in a particular place (Charters, 2010, p. 5). It may include how different agents reinterpret the past, narrate and imagine the history of a place (Demossiers, 2004, cited in Charters, 2010, p. 3). It is an indicator of reputation and quality assurance and it has often been well promoted through place branding because it involves an articulation of ‘history and heritage, efficiency and quality, reputation and status’ (Rausch, 2008, p. 139).1 Indeed, the cultural aspect of terroir has been enhanced through different promotional and marketing strategies.

Keywords: Zhejiang Province; Qing Dynasty; Cultural Aspect; Song Dynasty; Legal Discourse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137031907_12

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