Number Three: China

These are boundary breaking times for us. Behind the scenes we’ve been working really hard on a fundamental transformation of our company and the way we present ourselves. We are good at displaying brands, but when it came to our own brand things got really interesting. We’ve chosen to take a thoughtful and reflective path to get to the very centre of who we are. This inward journey started when my brother Edward and I took over the company a year ago. We are now a third generation family business and asked ourselves: what do we want out of our company? How can we transform Tchai in such a way that it reflects what we believe in? Our vision, our ‘why’, our path.

The Chi Was There All Along

We traced the stories of our great-grandfather who traveled all the way from China to Rotterdam. We were genuinely fascinated by our Chinese roots and the powerful philosophical heritage in which ‘Chi’ is the most fundamental concept. Chi is the universal life force that flows through everything. In the client interviews we did to get a grasp of what defines Tchai as a company, this is the exact theme that kept coming back: the energy we put into every project we’re involved in. The relentless drive, the commitment, the inspiration – all of a sudden we could relate it all to that one essential source of energy: Chi.

Embracing Our True Version

This triggered us to give it our own creative interpretation and thus ‘Tchi’ was born. A combination of Trade and Chi, Tchi is the central concept that drives our business. At Tchai, all of our energy, all of our life force, all of our Tchi is about discovering and displaying yours.
When we say ‘we make it happen’, we mean your Tchi. We want to release your Tchi and let you experience the power of Tchi.

Sharing With You

Going in-depth into the wonders of China, both ancient and modern, we found so many hidden gems. From anecdotes to artists, each discovery fuelling our fascination and also confirming our ties with this rich and vibrant culture. Just as our company has made a huge transformation, so has our magazine evolved. We see it as an external manifestation of all the changes that we’ve made inside our company over the last year. In this re-born magazine, we share some of our most inspiring finds with you. The central theme is the unique treasures of China that give us energy; we are excited to hear if they will charge you up as well.

Growing Roots

On a personal note I can say that I’ve done some soul-searching as well and discovered that my principal Chi element is earth. This refers to strongly rooted traits like stability and reliability. I think that is exactly what Tchai needs in its transitional phase and I feel really blessed to be in the position I’m in.

As a launch date we have chosen February 16th, which isn’t a random date of course – it’s Chinese new year. So here’s a toast to the re-birth ofTchai Tchi, the heritage we carry with us and all the energy that will flow between us in the years to come!

Take care,

Kim Tchai

PS: You can discover TCHI Magazine Number Three digitally. Read it here +