28 JUL 2025 (MON) 15:05–15:25

Unpacking the puzzle of price premium: Symbolic values, socio-technical networks and neo-classical economics of Longjing Tea in China

Mr CAI Yinan

( Supervisor: Prof Junxi Qian )

Abstract:

This study employs premium West Lake Longjing tea, one of China’s most renowned artisanal agro-food products, whose market price has skyrocketed dramatically since 2010, as a strategic lens to explore how traditional artisanal knowledge and modern technological practices intertwine with regulatory policies and market forces, collaboratively shaping Longjing tea’s multifaceted economic and cultural values. Drawing from theoretical approaches in cultural economic geography, socio-technical network theory, heterodox and neoclassical economics, the research maps the institutional and discursive landscapes through archival analysis of national geographical indication (GI) standards (GB/T 18650-2008), Hangzhou’s dual-zoning ordinances, local technology-extension programs, village-level production records, etc. Subsequently, multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation within core and peripheral production zones and tea-tasting venues, complemented by semi-structured interviews and cross-actor focus groups, captures how growers, merchants, government officials, and researchers adopt, resist, or reinterpret evolving technical standards and culturally coded authenticity narratives in everyday practice. Employing actor-network theory and follow-the-thing methodologies, the study further traces how tea leaves, QR codes, chromatographic aroma profiles, packaging materials, and livestreamed rituals collectively enact authenticity and stabilise market valuation. Finally, econometric hedonic pricing models and simultaneous supply–demand functions quantitatively isolate and measure the marginal contributions of GI zoning, pre-Qingming harvest timing, traditional hand-firing skills, brand reputation, regional provenance, and digital marketing visibility to observed price premiums. Expected findings include that the 48 km² GI core production zone monopolises symbolic rents through potent heritage and authenticity narratives, systematically marginalising peripheral producers and intensifying scalar tensions. Moreover, the continuous interplay between modern standardised roasting techniques and traditional artisanal hand-firing methods exemplifies an ongoing dynamic of boundary-setting and adaptation, perpetually recalibrating quality standards and reshaping market positions. These insights not only offer practical guidance for GI policy formulation, strategic brand management, and community-centred rural regeneration initiatives but also advance theoretical discussions on cultural performativity, socio-technical qualification processes, and uneven geographical development. Ultimately, the study highlights the mutually reinforcing relationship between heritage practices and contemporary innovation in shaping agri-food markets, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the cultural dimensions of economic practices and the spatial politics of quality valuation.