UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
A new round of project reviews was held in Morocco.
Approved by:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
During its 17th session
The traditional Chinese Tea production techniques and associated customs (including the skills for making Tieguanyin originating from our county)
Have been successfully listed on
The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
To date, China has a total of 43 projects
Listed on the UNESCO
Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Ranking first in the world
The skills for producing Anxi Tieguanyin are a complex, exquisite, and unique set of tea-making techniques within the six major categories of Chinese tea. The Oolong tea production techniques (Tieguanyin production techniques) were included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. During the Chenghua period of the Ming dynasty (1465–1487), Anxi tea farmers drew on the principles of black tea (“fully fermented”) and green tea (“non-fermented”) to create a unique “semi-fermented” tea-making process. They also developed flexible techniques such as “judging the tea to make tea” and “judging the weather to make tea” based on factors like season, climate, and fresh leaves.
The traditional production techniques for Anxi Oolong tea (Tieguanyin) consist of three parts: picking, initial processing, and finishing. First is the picking technique. Anxi Oolong tea (Tieguanyin) can be harvested four to five times a year: spring, summer, summer heat, autumn, and winter. The picking is usually done by hand, with the standard being to pick two or three leaves when the bud has stopped growing. Second is the initial processing technique. The initial processing of Anxi Oolong tea (Tieguanyin) involves ten steps: sun-drying → cooling → shaking → stir-frying → rolling → preliminary drying → wrapping and rolling → re-drying → re-wrapping and rolling → final drying. Third is the finishing technique: the finishing process for Anxi Oolong tea (Tieguanyin) involves six steps: sifting → sorting → blending → baking → cooling → packaging.
Picking
Tea picking is best done on sunny days, with the tea picked between 10 am and 3 pm having the best quality. Picking “three leaves and half an unopened bud” is the high-quality Raw material for making Tieguanyin.
Sun-Drying
On sunny days, use gentle sunlight, and on cloudy days, use natural air circulation to allow the fresh leaves to lose some moisture, making the leaves soft and creating good foundational conditions for the shaking process.
Cooling
After sun-drying, place 1-1.5 kilograms of fresh leaves in a Bamboo basket, loosen them, and thinly cool them on a rack so that the water content in different parts of the fresh leaves can be evenly redistributed, and the heat between the leaves can dissipate. The cooling time is about one hour.
Shaking
The most difficult and core step of the ten processes is the “shaking and cooling,” which is the key link in forming the distinctive qualities of Tieguanyin tea. It requires “judging the weather to make tea” and “judging the tea to make tea.” One must closely observe changes in the color, aroma, and flexibility of the tea leaves and carefully monitor changes in temperature and humidity to adjust the intensity, frequency, and duration of the shaking.
Each shaking process includes both “shaking” and “cooling,” undergoing four to five repetitions of “shaking” and “static cooling,” taking over a dozen hours in total. This alternation forms the unique phenomenon of “green leaves with red edges” under the action of external forces, giving Tieguanyin its distinctive color, aroma, and taste.
Stir-Frying
Stir-frying, also known as killing the green, is a turning point in the process, following the principle of “appropriate temperature, appropriate quantity of tea, even stirring, mainly smothering, supplemented by tossing, and rapid short duration.” The time and temperature of the stir-frying should be adjusted according to the degree of shaking.
Rolling
Rolling is the shaping step in the initial processing of Tieguanyin. After stir-frying, the tea is pressed in a rolling machine to squeeze out the tea juice, initially rolling it into strips, laying the foundation for shaping.
Preliminary Drying
Evaporates part of the moisture, concentrating the tea juice and solidifying it on the surface of the tea strips, increasing the pliability of the tea strips, facilitating the wrapping and rolling process.
Wrapping and Rolling
Wrapping and rolling is a unique step in the production of Tieguanyin and an important means of shaping the appearance. It uses techniques such as “rolling, kneading, pressing, and grasping” to shape the tea into tight, curled, and round shapes.
Re-Drying
Re-drying is commonly referred to as “traveling baking,” primarily to evaporate part of the moisture and quickly increase the Leaf temperature, improving the physical and chemical pliability and further preparing for re-wrapping and rolling. Re-drying should be “quick and at the right temperature,” controlling the appropriate moisture content of the tea embryo to prevent excessive loss of moisture, which could cause “dry rolling” and produce too much tea powder.
Re-Wrapping and Rolling
Re-wrapping and rolling further shapes the appearance of the tea, repeated until the appearance is tight and round, resembling “dragonfly heads” and “oyster-dried shapes.” After re-wrapping and rolling, tightly tie the cloth bag and leave it for a while to fix the shaped appearance.
Final Drying