Longtime attendee brews up strong links

Liew Choon Kong, director of the Tea Trade Association of Malaysia and the fourth-generation successor of Kong Wooi Fong Tea Merchants — or KWF — has deep feelings about the Canton Fair, which he said provides good tea sources and has become a cooperative platform of KWF and Chinese companies. 

The tea company was founded in 1928 by Liew’s great-grandfather Liew Da Zhi. He was born in Guangdong province in 1879 and moved to Malaysia in his 30s. He then started to sell tea and other products to the Chinese communities of Malaysia. 

With an increasing demand for tea in local markets, Liew’s great-grandfather focused on the business of tea trading and founded KWF. 

When the first Canton Fair was held in 1957, the company had to go through extremely cumbersome procedures to attend. 

At the flagship Canton Fair, the company signed a cooperative agreement with the China Tea Import and Export Company. 

Since then, batches of Chinese tea have been continuously transported to Malaysia according to its deal reached at the fair. 

KWF has participated in the Canton Fair every year. 

Liew recalled: “I followed my father to participate in the fair at first and came to China to buy Chinese tea alone. In addition to doing business, the fair was a bridge for overseas Chinese to be relieved of homesickness in the era of strict border control in the last century.”

In the past, Liew said, it took months for the goods to arrive in Malaysia from China. 

But with continual development of bilateral trade between China and Malaysia, freight logistics has become efficient. It only takes a week or so to receive goods, which has ensured the quality of tea products, Liew said.

Although Liew can buy all kinds of Chinese tea by phone call, he prefers to come to the fair and join in various tea-related activities. He said it not only helps to promote China’s tea industry and culture, but also allows tea enthusiasts from different regions of the world to share their experiences. 

“I hope that Chinese tea companies will continue to make high-quality products and expand markets in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and countries in the Middle East, Africa and Americas to bring the Chinese tea industry and culture to the world,” he said.

To promote Chinese tea culture, the Tea Trade Association of Malaysia has set up tea-themed courses and hosts various tea parties.