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Alan Chan is a renowned designer, brand consultant, and artist from Hong Kong. His design work spans advertising, brand design, product design, and art creation. Since the 1970s, he has won over 600 domestic and international awards in the fields of design and advertising. His design philosophy is "East and West Harmony," which skillfully blends Eastern culture with Western aesthetics, combining traditional charm with contemporary fashion. In his designs, one can always find a dedication and contemplation of traditional Eastern culture, especially evident in his tea-related works.
Tea and Zen culture is a significant part of traditional Chinese culture, merging tea culture with Zen culture, representing a major contribution of the Chinese nation to world civilization. In his design process, Alan Chan not only deeply explores the essence of tea and Zen culture but also combines it with Western aesthetics, creating unique and meaningful works.
For example, in the packaging design for "Ying Kee Tea House," Alan Chan abandoned the flashy and ornate patterns of Chinese folk traditions, using Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" as the creative backbone, borrowing its ideas to guide the tea ceremony. This design is not only favored by Hong Kong people but also deeply loved by foreigners. This method of combining traditional Eastern culture with Western aesthetics vividly embodies Alan Chan's "East and West Harmony" design philosophy.
Alan extended his unique "East and West Harmony" style to fragrance creation, collaborating with French legendary perfumer Maurice Roucel to launch a Chinese tea perfume series. Produced by the globally renowned German perfume manufacturer Symrise for Alan Chan Creations, the tea perfume series conveys the master's 51-year passion for Chinese tea. Alan Chan said, "I always wanted to create a tea-inspired perfume that represents Eastern sentiments with Parisian charm, and my wish has finally come true." Maurice Roucel launched the first two bottles of the tea fragrance series in 2018, blending dozens of ingredients to create two representative scents for Alan — Pu'er tea and Osmanthus Earl Green tea. Combined with packaging personally designed by Alan, featuring a French satin bottle and a Japanese handmade wooden box, it embodies the simple Zen of contemporary tea culture.
In 2019, Alan Chan collaborated again with Maurice Roucel and another legendary perfumer, Emilie Coppermann, to create three new fragrances: Oolong tea, Mint tea, and Hōjicha. This time, Alan designed the perfume packaging in a French-style black lacquer bottle, depicting the silhouettes of three types of tea leaves, paired with a Japanese handmade wooden box, exuding elegance and simplicity. The Oolong tea light fragrance makes the cup of Oolong tea romantic and poetic, retaining the warmth of musk while fully integrating with natural and floral scents, presenting a gentle and feminine classic fragrance. The Mint tea light fragrance features a sweet blue ocean tone and the aroma of mint tea. The Hōjicha light fragrance conveys the true peace of mind when desires are satisfied, drinking roasted tea feels like achieving a balance of body and mind at the right moment.
In summary, through his "East and West Harmony" design philosophy, Alan Chan successfully integrates tea and Zen culture with modern design, showcasing how to combine traditional Eastern elements with contemporary Western design. His works not only display the charm of Chinese culture but also influence many young designers, making a positive contribution to the exchange and integration of Eastern and Western cultures.
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