The opening ceremony of 2013 Shijiazhuang Northern Tea Fair on Sept 5, in Zhengding, Hebei province (Photo/Liu Xiang)

The four-day 2013 Shijiazhuang Northern Tea Fair, which had its opening on Sept 5, in the Zhengding International Commodity Market, pulled in nearly 600 purchasers to check out the displays of 200 tea companies, 98 percent of them famous brands, from around China.

The fair, which covered a 15000–square-meter area, focused on tea product promotions with 300 tea stalls open to the public, and were 30 special booths at the market with elaborate displays of tea products with their own characteristics, including Hunan Baishaxi black tea, Laotongzhi Pu'er tea, and Fuding white tea.

The Bird's nest made by the tea bricks on the 2013 Shijiazhuang Northern Tea Fair, which had its opening on Sept 5, in the Zhengding International Commodity Market (Photo/Liu Xiang)

One staff member working there said, "Hebei is not a big producer of tea but it's a large consumer, and tea lovers can find virtually any type of tea here.”

There were also tea ceremonies held daily at the event and some new products such as tea food and health products on hand for visitors to sample, and even a bird's nest made out of tea bricks, in the shape of Beijing's National Stadium.