Laoshe Tea House, named after the famous writer Laoshe and his great drama, is located in the region of Front Gate in Beijing. From its establishment in 1988, Laoshe Tea House has welcomed over 50 heads of state, various celebrities, and more than two million tourists, and has become a name card of Beijing in terms of showing folk-custom culture and bridging foreign friends.
Though the geographical and historical advantages are evident, Laoshe Tea House is confronting an increasingly competitive market that brings threatens to its survival and development. Given this background, Hanloong was invited to figure out the theme creation and corporate culture construction of Laoshe Tea House.
The interviews and researches started from January 16, 2007. During two-month period, Hanloong’s team interviewed 69 persons to form complete records, carried valid questionnaire surveys of 158 persons among 179, and looked into approximately 3 million characters of secondary data. After statistical analysis and comparative research, along with further interview and field investigation, the team concluded the findings into a report about the industry and a case collection of excellent corporate cultures, all together were 140,000 characters. The report and case collection provided solid foundation for the further project and conclusion.
From strategy, organization structure, channel communication, to human resource and brand marketing, the team grasped the whole operating process of Laoshe Tea House. By identifying the tea house’s cultural genes and core advantages, a corporate culture project including history, belief, and idea was put forward to elevate the mission, vision and strategy of the tea house. Consequently, a value system focusing on “Harmony, Respect, Enhancement” was formed and the corresponding behaviour regulations, structure adjustment, and crucial position arrangement were implemented thereafter.
Along with the corporate culture, Hanloong’s team also created a theme about “Beijing Style”, integrating Beijing folk-custom culture, tea culture, and Laoshe Tea House’s corporate culture through neoclassical design.
Among the integration, different cultural elements were exhibited: clothing, custom, and some historical sites represented Beijing folk-custom; the royal tea story, citizen tea custom, and history of the tea house demonstrate tea culture; while life in the drama, the past players, and the alive stage were the components of Laoshe Tea House.
