The 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rabat, Morocco (Xinhua)

On Nov 29, during the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rabat, Morocco, UNESCO added "Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China" to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Xianyang Fu Tea processing technique, one of the national intangible heritage projects of Shaanxi, got successfully promoted to the list as one of the associated declaration. It now becomes the fourth intangible cultural heritage of humanity in Shaanxi, following the Xi'an Drum Music, Paper Cutting, and Shadow Play. The number of China's intangible cultural heritage of humanity has reached 43, ranking first in the world.

"Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China" contains the knowledge, skills and practices related to the management of tea gardens, harvesting tea leaves, handcrafting of tea, and drinking and sharing tea. These techniques have been passed down from generation to generation and are still applied in the Chinese people's daily life, rituals and festivals.

Fu Tea is a fermented tea, made upon fermentation, boiling, frying, fungus growing and a series of steps. Based on comprehensive processing, "golden flowers"(fungus) will grow from the tea leaves, exerting rich aroma and taste.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, as a certain kind of black tea, which boasts over a thousand-year history, Fu Tea is an essential material for exchanging horses with ethnic minorities on the frontier. It contributed to the rise of the "Tea Horse Road" and became the "official tea". Fu Tea with grain, milk, and meat became a necessity for people in the northwest region of China.