In 1893, at the invitation of landowner Konstantin Popov, 13 Chinese tea specialists were brought to Chakvi. Among the group was Lao John Jao, who made a great contribution  to the tea farm in Adjara.

Lao brought tea leaf cultivation technology to Georgia. He established large plantations in Chakvi and built a tea processing fabric. With great effort he produced a special quality tea called “Lao Tea’’.

Among the personal items of Lao John Zhao is the straw  hat he used while working  in tea plantations.