Jingyang Brick Tea Ihtacapoyotl: Iehcahuiliztli tlein Ah'atl (Tea)

Press Kit

Unique Properties

The uniqueness of this package is that we use traditional Chinese engraving technology. The craftsman is hand-carved and has a more traditional feel. The packaging material is made of hand-made rice paper, which is environmentally friendly and moisture-proof.

Dimensions & Packaging

100 mm x 100 mm x 40 mm

Tags

Engraving,Tea Packaging,Packaging design

Production Technology

The final implementation of the packaging will use handmade rice paper and wood-block prints for inscription rubbing, which can promote the inheritance of China’s intangible cultural heritage. In addition, in order to reflect the packaging's original appearance and environment-friendly, its rubbing pigment, bonding glue and bundled straw ropes will all be made with natural materials. This design will also use portable straw rope to replace the original handles in order to save resources. Finally, local women will hand-package and decorate the tea bricks, which can solve their problem of a need for employment and will also stimulate economic growth.

Design Challenge

In the process of packaging design, in order to conform to the traditional Chinese design style, the packaging materials should be selected to consider the moisture-proof and insect-proof properties of the packaging, and finally the rice paper was selected. Decoration did not choose digital printing, but the choice of China's intangible cultural heritage block printing. Although this craft has been protected by the state, it has not been widely spread, and it has experienced many difficulties in the process of searching for intangible cultural heritage inheritors. The entire packaging process is hand-made and the size difference is created by hand, which is one of the difficulties in the packaging process. Not only that, the adhesives made from the leaves are environmentally friendly and harmless.

Research

Jingyang Brick Tea has a history of more than 600 years. It was also known as ‘Black Gold' on the ancient Silk Road. Due to regional economic underdevelopment and a lack of brand awareness, it faces difficulties with sales and communication. This time, the local tea merchants are jointly engaged in brand packaging of Jingyang Brick Tea to solve the above problems of local tea merchants and tea farmers.

Inspiration

The design concept reflects the late Qing Dynasty merchant culture and local customs. The various of life such as merchants riding horses around downtown and countryside, vendors selling the local snacks, folk artists performing Chinese operas, students preparing for exam, mother and kids.Line drawing techniques and tea receipts that circulated during the late Qing Dynasty will be used to seal the bottom of the brick tea. The design uses three Chinese traditional colors on different packaging.

Project Duration

The project started in May 2018 in TianJin and finished in February 2019 in TianJin, and was officially launched for sale in March 2019.

Operation Flow

In this product, the sealing method adopts the traditional Chinese ancient rope knot to prevent the goods from being scattered during transportation, and is also convenient for consumers to open and carry.The bottom is sealed by sticking labels, which is more traditional in Chinese style.The materials used are naturally environmentally friendly.

Patents

Copyrights belong to Langcer Lee, 2019.

Image Credits

#1: Photographer Jiang Tao，Jingyang Brick Tea，2018
#2: Photographer Jiang Tao，Jingyang Brick Tea，2018
#3: Photographer Jiang Tao，Jingyang Brick Tea，2018
#4: Photographer Jiang Tao，Jingyang Brick Tea，2018