An exhibition exploring Shanghai's lesser-known title as a tea trading center has wrapped up at the Haishang Culture Center.
Shanghai is well known as the global coffee capital with the most coffee shops, while its active role in China's tea industry is relatively obscure.
Shanghai has become the most important port for exporting symbolic products representing China, such as porcelain, silk and tea, to the West, after it opened as a treaty port in 1843.
The city grew to become China's largest tea trading center after 1860 because of its proximity to China's major tea producing regions such as Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.
The exhibition is designed to showcase the city's tea trading history over the past century, with more than 200 exhibits from Shanghai collectors on display.
Highlights include a wall of old tins from well-established brands such as Wang Yi Ji, Huang Long Tai and Wang Yu Tai, and an array of century-old invoices printed with Chinese and English characters, demonstrating the city's role as an international trade hub.
The exhibition is part of the 28th Shanghai International Tea Culture Tourism Festival.
(Source: Shanghai Daily)
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