Two terraces - one where rows of tea trees grow on Mount Jingmai in Yunnan province, the other in the wine-producing region of Saint-Emilion near Bordeaux, France. About 8,700 kilometres apart, the regions have embarked upon a relationship involving an exchange of trade and culture.
Libourne, the closest city to the Pomerol and Saint-Emilion vineyards, signed a co-operation agreement last month with the region famous for producing Puer tea.
As a result, a maison du vin (wine house) will open in Puer to showcase the wines of Pomerol, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Fronsac, Saint-Emilion and its satellites, Montagne, Lussac, Puisseguin and Saint-Georges. At the same time, a salon de thé (tearoom) showcasing the range of Puer teas will debut during the Vinexpo wine fair in June in Bordeaux. It will be an outpost of the wine fair in Libourne, and there are discussions to make it a permanent feature of the city.
Since the accord was signed, two Chinese delegations have visited Libourne, and one French group travelled to Puer. That delegation - which included Libourne Mayor Philippe Buisson, and the presidents of the wine syndicates of Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Lalande-de-Pomerol and Fronsac - went to learn about the tea culture and to better understand its links with the wine culture in Bordeaux. They visited local tea producers, and wine importers.
In return, the Chinese delegates met with key Libournais wine producers, including Christian Moueix, the director of Chateau de Viaud, which is now owned by Chinese food conglomerate Cofco.
"Libourne is the most important wine city in the region outside of Bordeaux itself, with its own wine merchant and production base," said Herve Cayla, a consultant with Gailong International and an adviser to the Puer regional government, speaking from Beijing. "So when the local Puer government approached me to suggest a partnership in the region, it made sense for it to be there."