World-famous
Longjing tea in
east China's
Zhejiang Province has recently been given birthplace protection
to prevent the production of non-authentic products.
The birthplace protection system, an international custom,
stipulates that only within a certain geographic area can brand
products be manufactured.
Longjing tea, which has a history of over 1,000 years, originally
grew in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province. Manufacturers from
Anhui and other provinces as well as some countries have been using
its brand name to make a profit, greatly damaging the brand's
purity and the profits of producers in its birthplace.
Implementation of the system will protect up to 20,000 square km of
the tea's birthplace.
Sources from the State Administration of Quality Supervision and
Quarantine (SAQSQ) said the tea is the fourth brand name in China
to get such protection. The other three are Shaoxing Huangjiu wine
from Zhejiang, Xuanwei ham from
Yunnan and Maotai spirits from
Guizhou.
Deputy Director of SAQSQ Li Chuanqing said, "China's entry into WTO
will help the birthplace protection system which will play an
important role in protecting Chinese cultural legacy, improving
product quality and increasing our competitive edge."
Li
said the system is fairly new to China, but it has been practiced
for hundreds of years in other countries. The European Union, for
instance, has protected over 1,000 product brands.
(eastday.com November 19,
2001)