Tea is one of the three major drinks in the world, produced in more than 60 countries and regions worldwide and enjoyed by over two billion people.
With summer around the corner and the mercury slowly rising, it's always good to have a solid strategy of how best to avoid being caught in the oven. That is, stuck outside in the blazing heat in the middle of a scorcher of a day. While remaining indoors, blasting yourself full-bore with the air conditioning is one option, a slightly more traditional technique of regulating body temperature is my cup of tea. No, literally, it's my cup of tea.
Editor's note: There are 43 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists that not only bear witness to the past glories of Chinese civilization, but also continue to shine today. China Daily looks at the protection and inheritance of some of these cultural legacies. In this installment, we retrace the footprints of the "tea saint" to discover the origins, and understand the evolution, of Chinese tea culture.
China is known as the home of tea. Since ancient times, tea has penetrated Chinese culture, leaving its aroma in poetry, etiquette and customs. Many tea lovers enjoy tea not just for its flavor, but also for the beauty of tea ceremonies.
Traditional drink inspires growing interest in customs and gives a fascinating taste of culture
East China's Jiangsu province is a land of abundance and tea culture here attracts attention.
Enshi Yulu is a famous green tea produced in Enshi city, Central China's Hubei province. It originated from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), thrived during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and has survived to the modern day.
Fu tea, a type of fermented dark tea, has a long history in Xianyang of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.
Zisun tea, produced in the county, has a history of more than 1,000 years. It was designated as the tribute tea in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Southwest China's Sichuan province has the earliest history of tea growing in China, with one place in particular having great renown: Mengding Mountain in Ya'a
Yunnan province in Southwest China is one of the country's top tea producers, boasting the largest tea garden area nationwide.
Traditional tea processing techniques and their associated social practices in China were added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Nov 29, 2022.