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Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China marks_1
  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00002510
    Country China
    ICH Domain Social practices, rituals, festive events Knowledge and practices about nature and the universe Traditional craft skills
    Address
    Of the element, the traditional tea processing techniques are closely associated with geographical location and natural environment, resulting in their distribution in the area in China of 18°~37° N and 94°~122° E. The techniques are mainly practiced in south of the Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River, and east of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Description The element consists of knowledge, skills, and practices concerning management of tea plantations, picking of tea leaves, manual processing, drinking and sharing of tea. Based on natural conditions and local customs, tea producers have developed six categories of green, yellow, dark, white, oolong and black teas, as well as reprocessed teas like flower-scented teas, which results in over 2,000 tea products. Processing tools are woks, bamboo trays and drying frames, etc. Core skills employed include shaqing (enzyme inactivation), menhuang (yellowing), wodui (piling), weidiao (withering), zuoqing (leaves shaking and cooling), fajiao (oxidation or fermentation) and yinzhi (scenting). All these teas, with their diverse colors, aromas, flavors and shapes, meet different needs of people. Tea is ubiquitous in Chinese people’s daily life. Steeped or boiled tea is served in families, workplaces, tea houses, restaurants, temples, etc. and applied as an important media for communication in socializing and ceremonies such as wedding, apprentice-taking and sacrificing. Practices of greeting guests with tea and building good relationships within family and among neighborhood through tea-related activities are shared among multiple ethnic groups, and provide a sense of identity and continuity for communities, groups and individuals concerned. During the transmission, the element has nurtured systematic knowledge, extensive social practices, proven traditional skills and abundant handiwork. It reflects Chinese people’s values of modesty, harmony, comity and respect, and has profound influence on moral cultivation and personality shaping. It also facilitates exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations through the Silk Roads, hence playing a significant role in sustainable social development.
Social and cultural significance The element, as a significant part of daily life in communities concerned, has rich social functions and cultural meanings. In the Classic of Tea by LU Yu in the Tang Dynasty, there are plenty of descriptions on the benefits of tea to body and mind. Tea has the effects of quenching thirst, refreshing, counteracting fatty foods, alleviating stress and relaxing the body and mind. Drinking tea has become a way of life and a habit of the communities concerned. Through producing, brewing and tasting tea, bearers and practitioners enrich their life, maintain peaceful and inclusive mindset, thereby cultivate mild and introverted personality, and improve their internal realms and promote self-cultivation. Enjoying and sharing tea functions as an important way in which people communicate with each other. Etiquette and customs like greeting guests with tea and the elders first in tea serving, demonstrate the humanistic spirit of modesty, harmony, comity and respect, contribute to harmony within families and among people, and enhance cultural identity and social cohesion. The element enjoys a wide coverage and high engagement, and provides sustainable livelihoods for community members, women and people with disabilities being included. It helps to increase income, reduce poverty and accelerate the inclusive economic and social development. For example, among the 1.02 million population in Anxi County, Fujian Province, there are 800,000 people working in the tea industry, including 354,000 women and 7,200 persons with disabilities.
Transmission method Knowledge and skills related to the element are carried over mostly in traditional ways of transmission within clans, communities and through master-apprentice relationship. They have also been integrated with formal education. Clan-based transmission. Knowledge and techniques, particularly some specific skills and know-how, are transmitted among clan members for generations. For example, Tieguanyin tea processing techniques have been handed down to the thirteenth generation in the Wangs’ clan in Anxi County, Fujian Province. Master-apprentice transmission. Guided by masters, apprentices acquire relevant knowledge, skills and know-how through participatory observation and practices. Take Jingshan Tea Ceremony for example. Since the first year of Tianbao Reign (742 AD) in the Tang Dynasty, it has been transmitted to the 121st Abbot in Wanshou Buddhist Temple of Jingshan Town in Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Mr. WANG Chang, a representative bearer of Keemun Black Tea Processing Techniques in Anhui Province, has taken 17 apprentices in last five years. Community-based transmission. In households, etiquette and customs of drinking and serving tea are taught by the elders to the next generation. In communities, the elders pass on experience in organizing tea-related rites and traditional ceremonial knowledge for inter-generational transmission. Formal education. There are over 40 vocational colleges and 80 universities in China that have set up majors in tea science or tea culture, resulting in over 3,000 graduates specialized in tea producing and tea art every year. Some representative bearers carry out teaching activities at schools for transmission purpose.
Community Representative communities come from Wuyishan and Longyan cities, Fujian Province; Quannan and Wuyuan counties, Jiangxi Province; Duyun City, Guizhou Province; Ning’er Hani and Yi Autonomous County, Mangshi City and Dali City, Yunnan Province; Junshan District of Yueyang City and Anhua County, Hunan Province; Ya’an City, Sichuan Province; Cangwu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province; Pan’an County, Zhejiang Province; Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, etc.
Type of UNESCO List Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Incribed year in UNESCO List 2022

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