Hangzhou brews tea culture steeped in rich tradition
China's traditional tea-making was included in the intangible cultural heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization last month.
The item "Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China" was approved at the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
The item contains 44 Chinese national tea-related cultural heritages, covering 15 provinces and regions. Six tea heritages from Zhejiang Province have been included, namely West Lake Longjing tea (西湖龙井), Jingshan tea ceremony (径山茶宴), Anji white tea (安吉白茶), Wuzhou Juyan tea (婺州举岩), Zisun tea (紫笋茶) and tea temple fair (庙会/赶茶场).
Zhejiang people have been growing, plucking, processing and drinking tea for millennia, establishing a series of crafts, ceremonies and products.
Picking tea in March
Chinese tea producers have developed six categories of tea, namely green, yellow, dark, white, oolong and black, while Zhejiang mainly accounts for the white and green varieties.
As a ubiquitous necessity in Chinese people's daily life, tea is served in families, workplaces, teahouses, restaurants and temples as part of social situations, etiquettes and ceremonies.
The traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China are made up of knowledge, techniques, tea plantations, picking tea leaves, handmade processing, drinking and ceremony.
In Hangzhou, the western hilly area is home to the time-honored Longjing tea, which is still one of the most popular varieties in China. The harvest season officially begins in March, and the tenderest leaves must be collected within several days.
Frying the freshly picked tea leaves often requires years of practice. After decades of practice, veteran farmers have devised an entire smooth and effective processing system which involves 10-hour processing, including ventilating, drying, screening and frying, before the tea leaves are packed in tins.
As a key procedure during the processing, the skills applied to frying impact the aroma of the precious tea leaves. All the plantations adhere to the practice of frying tea leaves by hand instead of using machines. As hands can better sense temperatures and adjust the frequency of stirring.
Since the method is considered the core to maintain the natural fragrance of the tea, local authorities have rigidly specified the standards of tea-frying techniques and the qualification of top-notch craftspeople.
Hangzhou is the only production area for Longjing tea – extending to Hupao Pagoda and Maojiabu Village in the east, Yangfu Temple and Longmenkan and Hejia villages in the west, Shejing and Fushan villages in the south and Laodongyue Temple and Jinyujing Community in the north.
Frying tea leaves by hand is a key procedure of processing green teas.
In a bid to protect tea plantations, Hangzhou conducts a census every 10 years to supervise natural resources and set up archives for each piece of land. Local departments also stipulate fertilizer types that can be used on tea plantations. Farmers are encouraged to use organic fertilizers instead of synthetic ones.
Throughout dynasties, tea ceremonies have had a deep influence on Chinese tradition. The Jingshan tea ceremony peaked during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when Hangzhou was the capital. In 2011, the ritual was listed as a National Intangible Culture Heritage.
The Jingshan tea ceremony mainly refers to the preparation and consumption of powdered tea, which in ancient times was formed into a ritual at Jingshan Temple in Hangzhou. The process includes a series of performances, procedures and particular criterion for using tea leaves and vessels.
Different from the modern drinking style, Southern Song people made finely ground powder from processed green tea. The powdered tea was brewed with a small amount of boiling water and then whipped with a small whisk to a mush. More boiling water was added to dilute the mush.
Except for brewing tea, the entire process of Jingshan tea ceremony also includes drumming to usher guests, burning incense to worship Buddha and meditation.
Every procedure integrates tea with ritual, tea-making skills and Zen, a school of Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Over centuries of development, it has evolved into the epitome of Chinese Zen tea culture.
