Nicolas' pictures of tea shops in China

[apache]

I found Nicolas' site a couple of days ago and I don't know if he has mentioned this on this forum. Anyhow,it has some interesting as well as useful information. There are lot of pictures of the tea market in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Kunming. Here you will see myriad amount of puerh tea in sacks, cakes, tons, and boxes. The size of the market is just way beyond my imagination.
http://www.nicolastang.com/tea/china/

He also gives a guide about different tea shops in HK and this is very useful if any of you are in HK and would like to buy tea.

[debunix]

Gives new meaning to the phrase...

All the tea in China

is a LOT of tea!

[Proinsias]

The new pu-erh.net?

Excellent site, thanks for the link. Nice job, Nicholas, if you're reading.

[Drax]

Wow, great collection of pictures!

I hadn't seen anything like those decorative clay bing containers (or at least, that's why I assume they are). Very interesting!

[shogun89]

Yes it is a very nice site indeed and only makes me want to go to china more. The possibilities with a few thousand dollars for tea and teaware...

[tingjunkie]

Awesome photos and information there! My first thought was, "Wow, look at all that tea being stored in direct sunlight!" After that I was quickly distracted by the scores of Yixing pots for sale.

[apache]

As he didn't put any captions with the photos, I wonder, the pictures which show newly built flats with a BMW in front of a garage in Kunming, is he trying to show us the new found wealth in that place?

[nicolas]

Thanks for all your feedback. My website is still work in progress, as I only update it when I have the time (after dividing between my day job, weekend trips to tea shops and my other hobbies). In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like me to feature any particular topics please let me know.

Apache, the BMW photo was taken in a condominium next to the Kunming tea market, which I visited with a property agent to explore the possibility of using a Kunming apartment to store puerh tea. However, I now prefer to drink puerh that is stored in Guangzhou/Hong Kong.

I have thought about uploading my images in this forum but there is a size cap of 600 pixels. My photos are between 800 to 1,000 pixels.

I will soon upload photos from my recent trip to the Dongguan Tea Markets.

[apache]

Apache, the BMW photo was taken in a condominium next to the Kunming tea market, which I visited with a property agent to explore the possibility of using a Kunming apartment to store puerh tea. ...

Oops!

[Victoria]

Wow malls of tea, that would be so exhausting and wonderful at the same time!

[geeber1]

Wow, that is overwhelming!

[nonc_ron]

If you're camera shy don't take pictures of mirrors or reflective windows.
If I notice anything else I'll send you a PM.

[skilfautdire]

"... and losses from buying fake tea" (on the web site in Buying Tea Online).

How fake can tea be, actually ? Is it only limited to the wrapper ? What I mean by that question is that, I presume that the tea looses all its market value but, the tea itself, is it really bad ?

(looks like some of the shops have the 'trick' of pan-firing tea at the entrance to attract buyers with the smell !)

(nice additions throughout your web site, the Dogen and Shunryu quotes !)

Also, nice pictures! There are nice because they render the feeling of being there.

How would these shops, say in Shenzen, be for the common Occidental ? I presume you can speak Chinese. Do you know how could it be for someone who does not ? Do people in the shops know rudiments of English ? Are foreigners 'harrassed' by peddlers like it can be in other countries ?

Many thanks for the details,

Cheers.

[bagua7]

...I have thought about uploading my images in this forum but there is a size cap of 600 pixels. My photos are between 800 to 1,000 pixels.

There shouldn't be a problem with that. Use a photo editor to resize your images to comply with the forum requirements. There is also free software you can use if you prefer to avoid the cost of commercial programs like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro:

1. The Gimp (the best IMO)
2. IrfanView
2. Paint.net
3. Picasa
4. ImageForge

Do a Google search for them.

[nicolas]

How fake can tea be, actually ? Is it only limited to the wrapper ? What I mean by that question is that, I presume that the tea looses all its market value but, the tea itself, is it really bad ?

Why would they only fake the wrapper and not the tea? In the first place, why would they fake the wrapper?

"...
How would these shops, say in Shenzen, be for the common Occidental ? I presume you can speak Chinese. Do you know how could it be for someone who does not ? Do people in the shops know rudiments of English ? Are foreigners 'harrassed' by peddlers like it can be in other countries ?

They usually do not speak English. You will need to hire a translator or visit these shops with a Chinese speaking friend. I encourage puerh drinkers all over the world to visit the Guangzhou tea market. It is an eye opener.

There shouldn't be a problem with that. Use a photo editor to resize your images to comply with the forum requirements. There is also free software you can use if you prefer to avoid the cost of commercial programs like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro:

1. The Gimp (the best IMO)
2. IrfanView
2. Paint.net
3. Picasa
4. ImageForge

Do a Google search for them.

Thanks for the tips. I should have made myself clearer - what I meant was I couldn't be bothered to resize the images and upload them again for a teachat post. I'm using Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks for my website.