On November 29, 2025, the project “Traditional Chinese Tea processing Skills and Related Customs” submitted by our country was reviewed and approved by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO and has been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. With this, a total of 43 intangible cultural heritage projects from China have been listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Register and Catalogue, ranking first in the world.

The traditional Chinese tea processing skills and related customs include knowledge, techniques, and practices related to tea garden management, tea leaf picking, manual tea making, and tea drinking and sharing. This encompasses 44 national representative intangible cultural heritage projects across 15 provinces, regions, and municipalities, covering the production techniques, tea arts, and customs associated with green tea, Black Tea, Oolong tea, White Tea, dark tea, yellow tea, and reprocessed teas. Of these, 39 are traditional tea processing skills and 5 are folk customs.

To enhance public awareness and understanding of traditional tea processing skills and related customs, raise consciousness about the importance of protecting intangible cultural heritage related to tea, increase national pride, and boost cultural confidence, we will be sharing 39 traditional tea processing skills and 5 folk customs over time. Please stay tuned.

Green Tea Chapter ① – West Lake Longjing

Green Tea Series (Part 1)

In 2008, the green tea processing skill (West Lake Longjing) was listed as a representative project of the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

West Lake Longjing

West Lake Longjing is produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and is renowned for its “green color, rich fragrance, sweet taste, and beautiful shape.”

Records show that tea cultivation began at Lingyin and Tianzhu temples during the Tang Dynasty. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Master Biancai chose to live in the Longjing Village and started cultivating tea below the Lion Peak Mountain, marking the earliest historical record of tea cultivation and processing in Longjing Village. In the Qing dynasty, West Lake Longjing gained prominence, particularly favored by Emperor Qianlong, who visited the south six times and Longjing four times, writing six imperial poems about Longjing tea and personally designating “eighteen imperial tea trees.” Over time, West Lake Longjing gained international renown.

Through long-term practical experience, a series of tea production methods were developed for growing and making West Lake Longjing, including diligent cultivation, meticulous picking, and scientific pan-frying. Particularly noteworthy is the development of a distinctive set of processing techniques during the pan-frying process, known as the “ten major hand movements”: grabbing, shaking, spreading, extending, pressing, pushing, hooking, tossing, rubbing, and pressing.

Grabbing

Shaking

Spreading

Pressing

Pushing

Hooking

Tossing

Rolling

Pressing

The ten movements are flexibly applied according to the tenderness of the fresh leaves, the temperature of the wok, and the degree of dryness of the tea in the wok. Generally, fresh leaves with a moisture content of 75% are processed through various steps until they become dried tea with a moisture content of around 6%. Producing 500 grams of premium West Lake Longjing usually requires 6-7 hours of frying.

Appearance, Liquor Color, and Infused Leaves of West Lake Longjing

The unique processing skills of West Lake Longjing embody the wisdom of the working people and have deep cultural connotations, resulting in the flat and smooth appearance, tender green color, bright liquor, prominent fresh or bean flower fragrance, and fresh, pure, and refreshing taste of the tea. These characteristics have earned it the title of “Queen of Green Teas.”

Reviewed by: Dr. Liu Xu, Associate Researcher, and Senior Agronomist Deng Yuliang, both from the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences