CCTV Exposes Livestream Tea Scam: Fake 'Ancient Tree Pu'er' with Paid Actors Posing as Farmers

CCTV Exposes Livestream Tea Scam: Fake 'Ancient Tree Pu'er' with Paid Actors Posing as Farmers
Source: CCTV Finance WeChat Account — June 21, 2026

Recently, consumers have reported to the Financial Investigation program of China Media Group that certain livestream rooms selling Pu'er tea have become hotbeds of marketing fraud. Hosts boast about "authentic core production areas, pure ancient tree material, and collectible value," but in reality, the tea is ordinary and does not match the description.

The livestream room "Yunnan Awei" has 786,000 followers. The host was promoting a product called "Mansong Prince Mountain No. 7 Ancient Tree Pu'er Tea." Mansong Prince Mountain, located in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, is the core production area of Mansong tea and the original source of Ming and Qing dynasty imperial tribute tea, with only 327 ancient trees remaining registered. The procurement price for spring tea is 45,000 yuan per kilogram, but "Yunnan Awei" listed it at just 109.1 yuan for 200 grams. Within minutes, 1,286 orders were sold, generating over 140,000 yuan.

A reporter visited Mansong Prince Mountain to verify. The farmers stated the tea sold in the livestream was fake and not from their tea gardens. They warned that many livestream rooms sell counterfeit Mansong Pu'er, as ancient tree yields are minimal and pre-ordered by regular customers early in the season.

The reporter also discovered a self-proclaimed "tea farmer" claiming to be from Bingdao Old Village No. 31, selling ancient tree tea alongside the host. Bingdao Old Village ancient tree tea typically costs thousands of yuan per cake. Yet the livestream offered 2025 mixed-harvest tea at just 733 yuan per kilogram, with over 1,200 orders snapped up in seconds. When the reporter visited Bingdao Old Village, no No. 31 address existed. Real large-tree tea from Bingdao costs at least 16,000 yuan per kilogram.

Within less than a month, "Yunnan Awei" achieved sales exceeding 10 million yuan.

Through undercover investigation, the reporter found the company operates on a 50-50 profit-sharing model, generating hundreds of millions annually, with tea farmers having no say. Hosts cultivate a "farmer-supporting" persona while packaging ordinary tea as "ancient tree" products.

In the "Yunnan Tea Promoter Teacher Chen" livestream room, the person in charge, Mr. Yang, rented village committee premises to create a farmer-supporting scene, misleading consumers. In just half a year, he made a fortune.

The livestream room "Yijing Tea" has 120,000 followers and claimed to sell Pu'er from Bingdao Old Village harvested in 2011, but it was also counterfeit. The reporter found two documents at the scene: a labor settlement sheet listing 20 people for "tea sales, on-site appearances, and performances," and a tea farmer quotation sheet with quotes from seven farmers. The person in charge admitted that among the 27 "tea farmers" present, only seven were real — the remaining 20 were paid actors.