Silk and Tea: Two Chinese Exports Two Thousand Years in the Making
The Silk Road and the Tea Horse Road, mulberry vs. tussah silk grades, and how to shortlist across the six tea categories for overseas shelves.
Silk
Mulberry silk has a long fine fibre and a soft lustre — the choice for premium bedding and apparel. Tussah silk is coarser and more amber, at a friendlier price. Common constructions: crepe satin, doupion, georgette, and mulberry-filled duvets (filling must be 100% long-fibre floss).
Momme (mm) is the thickness unit for silk fabric — 16/19/22/25 mm, the higher the heavier.
Tea
Six categories: green (Longjing, Biluochun), white (Silver Needle, Shoumei), yellow, oolong (Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao, Dan Cong), black (Lapsang Souchong, Keemun) and dark/post-fermented (Pu-erh, Liubao).
Export note: EU pesticide MRLs are strict — ship with residue reports matching the destination standard, and prefer factories with export-registered bases and the needed certificates.
Why culture matters
Goods are only the carrier; what buyers remember is the craft and the story behind them. The China Select floor pairs daily necessities and Chinese-style products with this knowledge so overseas buyers understand what they are selling.
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