UK China Maker Rolls Out Souvenirs for King’s May Coronation

Dispatcher Steph Bogdanski packs the finished products, at the Duchess China 1888 factory, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP)
Dispatcher Steph Bogdanski packs the finished products, at the Duchess China 1888 factory, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP)
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UK China Maker Rolls Out Souvenirs for King’s May Coronation

Dispatcher Steph Bogdanski packs the finished products, at the Duchess China 1888 factory, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP)
Dispatcher Steph Bogdanski packs the finished products, at the Duchess China 1888 factory, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP)

With just five weeks before King Charles III's coronation, a British manufacturer of fine bone china is busy making “God Save the King” commemorative plates and mugs for the historic occasion.

Craftspeople at the Duchess China factory in the central England city of Stoke-on-Trent painted delicate gold edges on more teacups and saucers Thursday to make sure there are enough to meet the expected demand for royal souvenirs.

When Charles is crowned at London's Westminster Abbey on May 6, the ceremony will be the UK's first coronation since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the subject of the same ritual just shy of 70 years earlier. He inherited the throne when Elizabeth died in September.

Duchess China started producing china tableware in 1888. Its range of commemorative china features the Union Jack colors of red, white and blue, and come emblazoned with the words “God Save the King.”

The manufacturer said the design was inspired by china produced in the 1930s for the coronation of King George VI, Charles' grandfather.

“We’ve had (orders) as far afield as New Zealand and over the other side, America. It’s really reassuring that the royal family are so well liked in all these different countries,” Jason Simms, the company's managing director, said.

Simms said Duchess China has struggled in recent years, partly because of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. He hopes the coronation will restore some of the luster by showcasing Britain's ceramics industry and skilled craftspeople.

“We are using this as a real chance to get across a great British product out into a public domain across the globe,” he said.



Chinese Tea Hub Branches into Coffee as Tastes Change

A worker raking coffee beans during the drying process at the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation in Pu'er - AFP
A worker raking coffee beans during the drying process at the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation in Pu'er - AFP
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Chinese Tea Hub Branches into Coffee as Tastes Change

A worker raking coffee beans during the drying process at the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation in Pu'er - AFP
A worker raking coffee beans during the drying process at the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation in Pu'er - AFP

At a mountainside cafe in southwestern China, Liao Shihao brews handfuls of locally grown beans into steaming cups of coffee, a modern twist on the region's traditional drink.

For centuries, Pu'er in Yunnan province has given its name to a type of richly fermented tea -- sometimes styled "pu-erh" -- famous across East Asia and beyond.

But as younger Chinese cultivate a taste for punchy espressos, frothy lattes and flat whites, growers are increasingly branching out into tea's historic rival.

"People are coming to try our hand-drip coffee... and more fully experience the flavours it brings," Liao, 25, told AFP.
"In the past, they mostly went for commercialised coffee, and wouldn't dabble in the artisanal varieties," he said.

Liao´s family has run the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation for three generations.

Nestled in a shady valley, spindly coffee trees line its steep hillsides, their cherry-like fruit drying on wooden pallets outside.

When AFP visited this month, clusters of tourists sipped boutique brews in the airy cafe overlooking its verdant slopes.

"It's very good," said Cai Shuwen, 21, as he perched on a bar stool lifting sample after sample to his lips.

"Even though some beans are more astringent than I imagined, others have exceeded my expectations."

- Brewing success -

Every year, Pu'er's plantations sell tens of thousands of tons of coffee to major Chinese cities, according to government data.

In metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai, a thriving cafe scene has emerged in recent years, driven by people aged between 20 and 40.

To Liao, a trained roaster and barista, coffee from his home region possesses "a creamy flavour with a silky, viscous mouthfeel".

Modern commercial plantations only sprang up in Pu'er in the 1980s, and the area is still better known for its centuries-old tea trade.

Liao's grandfather, Liao Xiugui, said "nobody knew anything about coffee" when he arrived in Pu'er a few decades ago.

At the time, the older man was one of very few people in China who had studied coffee cultivation.

But the region's relatively high altitude and temperate climate were well-suited to the unfamiliar crop, the now 83-year-old told AFP.

"The quality of the coffee we plant here is strong but not too bitter, floral but not too heady, and slightly fruity," he added.

Free from artificial pesticides and interspersed with other species for biodiversity, Little Hollow yields about 500 tons of raw coffee fruit per year.

Liao Xiugui himself drinks two or three cups a day, and credits the caffeinated beverage for keeping him spry in his advanced years.

"Drinking coffee can make you younger and healthier... and prevent ageing," he smiled.

"Also, everyone is tired at work these days... and they want to give their brains a boost."

- Richer pickings -

China's coffee output has risen dramatically in recent years, though it still lags far behind traditional powerhouses such as Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.

Yunnan, near three borders with Southeast Asian nations, accounts for virtually all of China's coffee production, much of it concentrated in Pu'er.

On a visit to Yunnan last month, President Xi Jinping said the province's coffee "represents China", according to state media.

Keen to further expand the sector, officials have rolled out policies to improve production, attract investment and boost exports, according to government statements.

They have also merged coffee production with tourism, dovetailing with a central government push to increase domestic consumption.

Longtime farmer Yu Dun, 51, said she had opened new income streams with plantation tours, homestays and a restaurant fusing coffee with the cuisine of her native Dai ethnicity.

Her prospects were bright, she said, adding that she also earned "10 times" more revenue from her beans since learning to process and roast them herself.

"We used to say only rich people could drink coffee, but that's all changed now," she said.