ShanCha and Friends

ShanCha Inc., a subsidiary of Lingrui Group, launched their camellia oil product line at the Asia Society and Museum in Manhanttan, New York, on the evening of December 4th, 2016. The event offered guests a memorable experience of traditional Chinese culture. Among the attendees included the chairman of Lingrui Group, Mr. Xiong Weizheng, the multi-faceted celebrity, Ms. Kan Yue-Sai, critically acclaimed artist, Mr. Shen Wei, famous film producer and tenured professor from New York University, Ms. Cui Minghui and Tong Ren Tang’s US Marketing Representative, Mr. Charles Sullivan.

Upon walking into the ballroom on the 8th floor of the museum, guests were immediately immersed in a traditional Chinese atmosphere. There was an instant allure to the natural beauty and light fragrance of camellia oil permeating in the air. The event exhibited a mixture of traditional charm and modern elements, which harmoniously bridged modern lifestyle and cultural connotation.      

As a company willing to take on social responsibilities, ShanCha Inc. was founded with a desire to present precious camellia oil to American friends who did not have the opportunity to enjoy its benefits. The mission of ShanCha Inc. is to introduce ShanCha organic camellia oil, originating in China, to American families to provide a better alternative to olive oil. ShanCha Inc. aims at connecting local farmers oceans away to US consumers to establish and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship for many years to come. 

According to historical records, camellia oil has been used in China for over two thousand years. The camellia trees that bear seeds for upon which ShanCha camellia oil is pressed, grow wildly only in the mountainous regions of Henan, China. With an ordinary appearance, the oil is rich in nutrients and other natural elements and especially high in monounsaturated fatty acids, even higher than olive oil. Other edible oils are far behind in terms of health benefits when compared to camellia oil. However, camellia oil has been mainly used in the mountains of certain parts of China for so many years because of poor communication and geographical isolation, so its value has not been fully appreciated by the rest of the world. Camellia oil has gained popularity since people around the world started becoming more aware of their health and the environment. ShanCha Inc.’s efforts has put a new variety on the edible oil market in America. 

Over 180 friends and guests from all walks of life attended the event. The conference commenced with a speech from Mr. Xiong Weizheng, the Chairman of ShanCha’s parent company, Lingrui Group. He began by expressing the most sincere welcome to guests and compared Xin County-ShanCha camellia oil’s origin to the mysterious Shangri-La. He said that camellia trees in that area have a long history growing wild without natural or human-induced pollution and are known as the ‘Trees of Treasure’. ShanCha camellia oil is cold-pressed from the seeds of these prized camellia trees and contains the most potent nutrients even with extremely high cooking temperature, which is better than olive oil and is the best edible oils. Finally, Mr. Xiong addressed the reason for Lingrui Group to become involved in the development of the camellia oil industry and the introduction of camellia oil to the United States and even the world: to help famers in Xin county escape poverty and make nutrient rich camellia oil more accessible. Mr. Xiong also expressed his confidence for the US market outlook and won the audience’s rounds of applause. 

Mr. Chen Yuanming, the general manager of the camellia oil production base, introduced the unique features of ShanCha camellia oil to attendees from a professional point of view: pure wild growth, high quality, hand-picked raw materials and exclusively cold-pressed. The audience reacted enthusiastically when Mr. Chen informed that both ShanCha camellia raw materials and products have China and USDA’s organic certification.

The local catering company, Great Performances, catered the event. Food was prepared with ShanCha camellia oil so that guests could sample its natural flavor. ShanCha Inc. also carefully arranged other activities that provided memorable cultural experiences:

The 3-D portrait paper cutting by Mr. Lu Mingliang was very impressive and attracted a long line of guests. 

Ms. Raid Liu assisted guests with calligraphy, writing on notebooks made of paper with camellia flowers that they were able to keep as a souvenir.  

Ms. An Li presented an incense and tea ceremony, taking guests to experience the beauty and profundity that roots deep in oriental culture. 

Unique musical performance by the Triple-I band combined the Pipa, Erhu, and electric piano to create a new form of music. Triple-I demonstrated that music has no boundaries between language and culture barriers as they infused traditional Eastern and modern Western music to create a captivating new sound. 

During the event, guests had the opportunity to experience a new culture, try delicious food, watch and learn about different Chinese art forms and make new friends. The event provided an insightful and entertaining platform for guests to learn about the history of camellia oil and showed how it can be used to promote a healthy lifestyle. Many friends and guests actively signed up for memberships to join the ShanCha Club.

December 4th was coincidentally Mr. Charles Sullivan’s birthday. ShanCha Inc. ordered a special custom-made birthday cake for him. Everyone sang the happy birthday song together and wished him happiness, health and longevity in a warm and happy scene. 

ShanCha Inc. put a lot of time and money into the event (free for guests) and even had three sweepstakes opportunities for considerable prizes: a Diamond membership, Platinum membership, and Gold membership.  

Prizes with high collection value also included three fine paper fans signed and donated to the event by the famous calligrapher, Ms. Chen Yulian. At the end of the event, everyone walked away with a ShanCha camellia oil gift bag as a gesture of appreciation for coming.  

The guests lingered around as the event came to a close, which is impressive considering how everyone is always so busy and has somewhere they need to go in a large metropolitan city like New York. For guests, this was a one-time opportunity to stop by and get a taste of Eastern culture and try camellia oil for the first time while learning about its various uses and benefits. Those who became members now have a partnership in ShanCha Inc. to aid them in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in the future.