Livestreamers accused of passing off ordinary Pu'er tea as rare varieties

Some livestream broadcasters allegedly passed off ordinary Pu'er tea as rare ancient-tree varieties by staging fake appearances by tea farmers and exploiting consumers' trust in rural vitalization campaigns, according to an undercover investigation by China Media Group.

The investigation found that livestream hosts promoted tea as originating from prestigious growing regions in Southwest China's Yunnan province while selling it at prices far below the market value of genuine products.

Hosts frequently described their tea as "authentic core production area" or "pure ancient-tree material", despite evidence suggesting the products were ordinary blended teas, CMG reported recently.

One of the largest livestream accounts investigated, "Yunnan Awei", has nearly 786,000 followers and regularly promotes high-end Pu'er tea.

During one livestream, host Awei introduced what he claimed was Mansong Prince Mountain No 7 Ancient Tree Pu'er Tea, emphasizing its authenticity while inviting a supposed local tea farmer to present identification documents on camera to reinforce the claim.

Mansong Prince Mountain, in Mengla county, Yunnan province, is considered the birthplace of imperial tribute tea during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911). Only 327 officially registered ancient tea trees remain in the area, making genuine Mansong tea among China's rarest and most expensive.

The procurement price for the 2026 spring harvest of authentic Mansong ancient-tree tea reached about 45,000 yuan ($6,648) per kilogram. By contrast, the livestream offered 200 grams of the purported tea for 109.1 yuan. More than 1,280 orders were placed within minutes, generating sales of more than 140,000 yuan.

Reporters later traveled to the address printed on the tea packaging in Mansong. The tea farmer whose information appeared on the package denied producing the tea sold during the livestream and said it did not come from her plantation.

She warned that many livestreams falsely claim to sell Mansong ancient-tree tea because authentic production is extremely limited and is typically reserved well in advance by long-term buyers.

The investigation uncovered similar discrepancies involving tea marketed as originating from Bingdao old village, another highly prized tea-producing area in Lincang, Yunnan province.

A man identifying himself as a tea farmer from what was described as Bingdao Old Village No 31 repeatedly appeared alongside the livestream host promoting ancient-tree tea.

Market data indicate genuine Bingdao ancient-tree tea often sells for several thousand yuan per tea cake and remains in chronically short supply.

However, the livestream sold what it claimed was 2025 spring-harvest mixed ancient-tree tea for 733 yuan per kilogram, with more than 1,200 orders selling out within seconds.

When reporters visited the village, residents said no such address existed and identified the livestream guest as someone who was not from the village. Villagers said authentic large-tree tea from the village generally sells for no less than 16,000 yuan per kilogram.

According to a company manager, the business model relies on revenue-sharing agreements with tea farmers, with livestream operators and suppliers splitting proceeds equally. Annual sales reach hundreds of millions of yuan.

But tea farmers interviewed during the investigation said they have little bargaining power over pricing or marketing and are often forced to sell tea at extremely low prices to gain access to livestream sales channels.

Another livestream operation, "Yijing Tea", advertised tea purportedly harvested from Bingdao Old Village in 2011.

During an undercover visit, reporters found payroll records showing payments for on-camera performances and labor involving 20 people, along with a separate list naming only seven actual tea farmers supplying products.

The livestream operator admitted that of the 27 people presented as tea farmers, only seven were genuine producers, while the remaining 20 were actors.

The investigation also traced the alleged deception beyond public livestreaming platforms to private WeChat groups.

According to the report, sellers used private livestreams to market ordinary tea as centuries-old ancient-tree products, fabricated certificates of origin and tasting reports, then shut down accounts and reopened under new identities after completing sales.

The Yunnan Tea Circulation Association later issued a statement calling for a tougher crackdown on misconduct in tea livestreaming, urging authorities to root out bad actors in the industry and thoroughly investigate livestreaming teams engaged in false advertising.