The story of Chinese tea's global journey is also one of commerce and cultural curiosity. In 1975, China's Xiaguan Tea Factory developed an artificial fermentation method, producing the now-famous 100-gram "Yunnan Tuocha".

A year later, Frenchman Fred Kempler discovered the tea in a Hong Kong shop. Drawn by its unique flavor, he visited Yunnan, bought nearly two tons, and became its exclusive distributor in Europe, earning it the nickname "Xiao Fa Tuo", or "the tuocha sold to France".

Since 1986, Yunnan's Pu'er tuocha has won multiple awards at food expos in France, the United States, and other countries, earning global recognition for Pu'er.

Xu Xue, executive dean of the Academy of Certified Chinese Tea Master, says the Dayi brand, renowned for its Pu'er, has long focused on international expansion and cultural exchange.

"Since 2011, we've established channels in countries like South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand," he says. "We've published multilingual tea books and hosted global exchange events and writing camps.

"We hope to pass down this thousand-year-old culture through a single cup of tea, and to connect with the world," he says.