Guangzhou gongfu tea, which is one of the representative projects from Tianhe district, was recently listed in the eighth batch of 48 city-level intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items.

Boasting a history of more than 300 years, Guangzhou gongfu tea's development coincides with the Sino-Western trade history of Guangzhou tea. It preserves a complete set of traditional tea folk customs, which include making, drinking, and serving tea.

"Drinking tea" in Guangzhou not only refers to drinking tea, but also includes the meaning of eating. Western-style cakes, pastries from northern China, and Cantonese dim sum are always served while drinking tea. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

Lin Chusheng, dean of the Guangdong Tea Culture Research Institute and a representative ICH inheritor in Tianhe, began to learn to boil water at the age of 5 or 6, and tea culture gradually became a part of his life.

The Guangdong Tea Culture Research Institute was founded in August 2008, and was recognized as a provincial-level humanistic and social science popularizing base in September 2021.

It has launched an online platform to carry out the vocational education of "tea art and tea marketing", and has carried out a series of activities like "gongfu tea entering campuses" lectures and tea-themed essay competitions.

Lin noted that the institute will make efforts to promote the Guangzhou gongfu tea abroad. A Lingnan tea culture exhibition hall is being set up to introduce tea varieties and the tea making process, which is scheduled to open by the end of this year.