The Features of Tea Packaging Design in China

Yui Beibei Postgraduate student; Department of Social Sciences; St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design 191186, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Bolshaya Morskaya str., 18, room 440 yubeibei@rambler.ru Other publications by this author

The topic of Chinese tea packaging design has become a relatively recent subject of interest to scientists. This issue is considered in various aspects. An interdisciplinary approach, for example, is demonstrated by Zhenyun Qu ^[2], analyzing the issues of integrating cultural traditions and technological innovations into the field of tea packaging design in conjunction with the problem of finding effective opportunities and ways to improve the quality of training specialists in this subject area. Scientists focus mainly on the topic of the development of tea traditions in packaging design (Bin Hu ^[9], Li Yixuan ^[13], Tao Ye ^[1]), in the context of the concept of tea packaging design as a "cultural creative product" (Yu-chen Liu, Zhu Liu ^[12]). In addition, a significant number of studies are devoted to the relationship between tea packaging design and marketing strategies, in terms of perception, subjective assessments and consumer expectations (Li Zhiquan ^[16], Xuefei Li, Yuxuan Qi, Charles Spence, Xiaoan Wan ^[11], Tao Yuting, Fawzi Naim Mohamed ^[14], Jiaying Gao, Marlon Rael Astillero ^[6]). A number of available publications are interesting using the case study method, because individual examples of packaging design are analyzed (Wenjie Hou, Husaini Jacob ^[8], Siyu Zhao ^[15]). The general principles of designing Chinese packaging products can be traced in the work of Liu Hui ^[10]. Some information on the history of the subject can be found in the publications of Wenjie Hou and Husaini Jacob, Xiaochen Geng and Miaomiao Qiu ^[7]. This study aims to systematize the available information on the theory and history of tea packaging design in China and create a holistic view of the formation of China's own design language for these products.

According to Wenjie Hou and Husaini Jacob, the earliest tea packaging dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC – 221 BC), it was mainly made of paper ^[8]. Tea was first distributed in packaged form. Over time, tea became increasingly popular, and already during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the practice of putting trademarks and trade names on tea appeared in order to guarantee the quality of tea sold, the earliest examples of designing special forms of tea packaging appeared in China ^[4]. The real boom of tea culture in China began during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, when tea production increased significantly. It was during this period that the principles of packaging design were formed: merchants began to pay attention to the design features and packaging design in order to extend the shelf life of tea and attract customers in highly competitive conditions. During this period, cardboard boxes, bamboo weaving, and clay vessels were mainly used. The packaging design mainly uses the techniques of traditional landscape painting, there is a desire for decorativeness in it. For example, Zhenpin tea leaves from the Qing Dynasty were sold in lacquer boxes, on which delicate and lush patterns were applied, which testified to a high level of craftsmanship and aesthetic standards in packaging design.

At the beginning of the XX century. with the constant and rapid development of packaging materials and technologies, the design of tea packaging began to undergo significant changes. The development of this field of design has led to the fact that tea packaging has become high-tech, diverse, adapting to new tastes and demands of modern society. If in traditional practice before the beginning of the 20th century, paper boxes, bamboo weaving objects and clay vessels served as a packaging form for tea, then metal cans, plastic bags, paper bags, etc. also began to be used in New China.

Since the end of the 20th century, packaging designers have been actively continuing to develop modern design principles, while integrating traditional meanings and aesthetics into modern visual culture, which is why we can conclude that at the present stage the main focus is on semantic design and innovative design. For example, some tea brands have begun to display traditional rural culture in packaging design ^[3]. At the same time, thanks to the popularity of the Internet and the rapid development of opportunities and technologies for buying and selling goods and services over the Internet, tea packaging design has become online and digital. The task of developing and designing tea packaging as a marketing strategy for brand promotion has come to the fore.

The formation of a national language in the design of tea packaging at the present stage is due to the fact that manufacturers of these products primarily focus on the Chinese consumer, and also see the DNA of Chinese culture and tradition in tea. The first of these aspects is currently associated with a number of problematic issues, the solution of which becomes a priority for designers and largely determines the specifics of the development of Chinese packaging design.

Tea producers today largely focus on the younger generation: "tea consumption is becoming more and more youthful, young people are becoming not only the main consumers of tea drinks of a new type, but also an increasing number of representatives of the younger generation are starting to drink and buy tea" ^[5]. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that the requirements of young consumers for tea and its packaging are quite high: compactness, unusual design, high aesthetic qualities, stylishness and modernity. "Fashionable young people are no longer satisfied with goji berry tea in a thermos, they want both delicious and beautiful tea"^[5]. Accordingly, modernization and improvement of traditional packaging is currently an urgent demand of the time. This process is primarily due to the desire to expand the circle of consumers at the expense of young people.

On the other hand, this trend of rebranding and modernizing the face of tea and tea packaging is accompanied by the activation of the national, cultural component. The concept of a "cultural and creative product" is being actively introduced, when the cultural factor, technology, innovation and creativity play a leading role in production and design. Such a product at a new stage of economic development "can increase added value and contribute to the modernization and development of traditional industries during their integration" ^{[12, p. 397]} into the life of modern society. This is of great importance for improving and transforming the entire economic structure and developing the country's economic growth rate. The basic principle of the process of developing and designing a "cultural and creative product" is to work with traditional formal language, materials, technologies, cultural symbols and spiritual connotations: they are translated into various kinds of products that express modern aesthetics and culture, as well as endowed with social relevance and practical functions. Lu Xin's thought is interesting: "The more national and local culture there is in the works, the more cosmopolitan they are" ^[5]. Reality confirms this idea. For example, sales of "cultural and creative products" at the Palace Museum in Beijing exceeded one billion in 2017. This and many other examples confirm the fact that "cultural and creative products" have a huge potential for development. It is not surprising that in this context tea and its packaging are considered as one of the most promising objects for the realization of the idea of a "cultural and creative product". Tea, which has a history of more than 3,000 years, is an integral part of the culture and spiritual heritage of the country, an agricultural product with Chinese characteristics. This fact alone obliges us to coordinate the packaging design of such products with the rich cultural and historical past of the country and at the same time bring it into line with current concepts of innovation and creativity – this allows us to realize the transition from tradition to modernity.

It is obvious that the current trend to interpret the design of tea packaging in terms of the concept of "cultural and creative product" is focused not only on promoting products in order to meet the needs of local consumers, but also to increase the popularity of Chinese tea in other countries of the world. In this regard, Tao Ye's master's thesis "Chinese tea traditions in packaging design" is of great interest ^[1]. The author touches on the significant topic of adapting the design of tea packaging with Chinese specifics for a non-Chinese audience, solving translation problems through the design of Chinese cultural meanings and symbols for the Russian consumer.

The formation of China's own tea packaging language at the present stage is associated with the need to find solutions to a number of problems. As an example, we can cite "Xinyang Maojian", a type of tea that is grown in the southern province of Henan, a drink that is among the ten most famous Chinese teas along with "Te Guan Yin" and "Puer". As is the case with other types of tea, various companies actively use traditional elements in the design of Xinyang Maojian packaging. At the same time, this practice reveals the shortcomings of existing mechanisms for their use in the design of tea packaging.

One of the most obvious problems is the designers' lack of understanding of traditional cultural elements. When developing Xinyang Maojian packaging, traditional elements – images of flowers and birds, landscape paintings, etc. – are used formally, cultural symbols and connotations are not integrated. Designers fail to establish and reveal the deep connection between tea culture and traditional culture, elements of the traditional visual language are simply drawn and engraved on the outer packaging. The monotonous, formal use of traditional stylistics in the design of Xinyang Maojian packaging is a serious problem that prevents us from identifying the correlation between this type of tea and traditional culture, and enriching the meaning and content of tea packaging design.

The second problem of modern approaches to the design of packaging of Xinyang Maojian tea is that the visual and psychological characteristics and needs of the consumer audience are not taken into account. Many elements of the language of tradition have significant potential in terms of emotional and associative impact. Their competent use in the design of tea packaging can increase the effectiveness of packaging as a means of attracting customers. When designing the packaging of Xinyang Maojian tea, it is necessary to make full use of various elements of traditional culture, such as shape or color. A high level of understanding and knowledge of national culture plays a crucial role in overcoming these problems.

Currently, creative designers are working in China, whose creativity is largely developing in accordance with modern design concepts and who are raising the design of tea packaging to a new level. This is evidenced, in particular, by the products presented at the Marking Awards competition. This food and beverage packaging design competition, initiated by FBIF (Food and Beverage Innovation Forum), has been held in Shanghai since 2016. "Marking Awards" is a platform for the development of innovations that attracts the attention of the whole world. The main task of the competition is not only to discover brilliant packaging designs for food and beverages, but also to develop communication between Chinese and foreign designers.

Fig. 1. Tea packaging design. Designer Shenzhen Bob. 2022 "Marking Awards", Shanghai.

Figure 1 shows the design of the tea packaging, which was submitted to the competition in 2022 by Shenzhen Bob. The packaging has the shape of a book. On the front side there is an image of a spreading tree with its roots in an open book, on the pages of which the inscription appears: "my book.. My tea.. my life." This design of Chinese tea packaging successfully integrates two concepts significant for Chinese culture – books and tea. The brand image is associated with these capacious images: good books are the foundation of life knowledge, good tea is the foundation of a good life. With the help of multilayer paper, the designer also places a three-dimensional "mountain" on the "cover" of his book, attractive and interesting to perceive, on the one hand, and environmentally friendly, on the other. The sequence of mountain ranges is designed in such a way as to evoke associations with the pages of the book. The image of the mountain does not appear by chance: the depth of its meaning is connected with the idea that good tea comes from a distant mountainous area.

The design of the tea packaging called "Deep Immersion in Tea" (Fig. 2) is inspired by a traditional Chinese puzzle game named after its creator "Lu Ban". In the general package there are small boxes, each of which has its own image. When a customer looks at eight different packages of tea, he gets the feeling that "a different landscape opens up to him at every step," as if he is walking through a traditional Chinese garden. The names of each type of tea are based on the natural images of the Chinese landscape: mountains, rocks, streams, clouds, snow, spring fields, magnificent trees, sunlight and sunset. The general name that appears on the main package, "Deep immersion in tea", is revealed in the choice of a name for each type of product, the characteristics of each type of tea, exquisitely interpreted in verse, as well as in the visual images of nature presented on each of the bags.

Fig. 2. KṣaṇAcha – "Deep immersion in tea". 2022 "Marking Awards", Shanghai.

Figure 3 shows the design of the packaging of tea "KṣaṇAcha – Flow Tea". Obviously, the concept of this design is based on the image of a flowing drink. Modern citizens spend most of their time in the concrete jungle of the metropolis. The design of "Flow Tea" reflects the desire to revive people's original desire for nature. The colors used in the main visual narrative of "Flow Tea" are the colors of nature, and the rounded and streamlined lines and shapes convey a sense of smooth movement, giving people a natural feeling, for example, flowing water or a breeze, waving trees. The use of traditional principles of nature visualization in this design effectively engages the associations and feelings of the consumer, allowing the urban dweller to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, to immerse himself in the world of nature for a moment.

Fig. 3. KṣaṇAcha – Flow Tea. 2022 "Marking Awards", Shanghai.

Thus, the formation of China's own tea packaging language is of great relevance for the modern development of this field of design. This process is aimed not only at the Chinese consumer, but also at the foreign audience. The adaptation of traditional culture and aesthetics is carried out in accordance with the concept of a "cultural and creative product". Unfortunately, many examples of tea packaging design currently indicate the inability of designers to effectively use traditional cultural elements, however, a number of creative designers demonstrate excellent examples that not only prove that existing difficulties can be overcome, but also demonstrate the wide possibilities of using the rich language of national tradition in a modern context.