The Story Behind YOU·CHA

Hello, I’m Fay, the founder of YOU·CHA.

I grew up in Fengqing, in Lincang, Yunnan Province, China—the birthplace of Dianhong black tea. My family owns a tea plantation there, and tea has always been part of my life. Before moving to France in 2017, I had earned a qualification in Chinese tea arts, although I never imagined that tea would one day become the heart of my own project.

In France, I studied and worked in visual communication. As I met people from different cultures, I began inviting friends to share tea at my home. I gradually discovered tea in a different way — not just as part of everyday life, but as a way to bring people together and share cultures. I also realised that Dianhong, a tea deeply rooted in my hometown, was still relatively unknown in France.

After three and a half years away from China since 2019, I finally returned to Fengqing in 2023. Beside our family tea plantation, at the foot of the mountains, a small wooden house had been built near a stream, surrounded by trees and the fragrance of tea. Being close to nature brought me a deep sense of peace. As a child, I had dreamed of leaving this small town. As I grew older, however, I came to appreciate the very place that now helps me feel grounded and restored. During that time, I created a series of illustrations inspired by Fengqing and its tea-growing mountains.

When these illustrations were exhibited in Paris in 2026, they inspired my first tea gathering, bringing together my two worlds: art and tea. This experience sparked the idea for YOU·CHA—a way to share the teas of Fengqing and the story of the land they come from.

Since 2023, whenever I return to Yunnan during the harvest season, I pick tea leaves with my mother and visit local tea factories to observe how tea is made. Through these experiences, I have come to understand how much time, skill and human effort go into every cup. I wanted to do my part to help more people discover the work of the farmers and tea makers behind it, and give their craftsmanship the recognition it deserves.

Fengqing has nearly 90 years of history in black tea production. Drawing on the distinctive characteristics of local large-leaf tea varieties and generations of expertise, local producers create black teas with rich aromas, as well as white teas with their own distinctive flavour profiles.

This is the richness YOU·CHA hopes to share: teas shaped by their unique terroir and the craftsmanship of the people who make them.

In China, Yunnan is often associated with a slower, more relaxed way of life. There is a popular saying: “There is a way of life called Yunnan.” To me, tea embodies this spirit—a simple daily ritual, a connection with nature, and an invitation to slow down.

YOU·CHA 悠然茶事 — Yunnan · Origin · Unwind.

Teas sourced from Fengqing, grown in its distinctive terroir and crafted using local know-how. From their origins to your cup, each tea invites you to discover Yunnan and take a moment for yourself.