Splendid intangible cultural heritage adorns Chinese civilization

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The making of Keemun black tea was listed as China's national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Wang Chang does the sieving processing of keemun black tea at a tea garden in Qimen County, east China's Anhui Province, Nov. 26, 2022. Keemun black tea, one of the most famous Chinese tea with intensive aroma, has a history of more than 100 years. The tea, also called "Qihong" in Chinese, plays an important role in cultural exchanges between the west and the east. In 2008, the making of Keemun black tea was listed as China's national-level intangible cultural heritage, and nowadays the tea has become a symbol for Anhui Province or even China.

The primary processing of Keemun black tea includes four steps, namely natural withering, rolling, fermenting and drying, lasting from before the Qingming festival (April) to June. After that, the refining of the tea is much more complicated, which mainly includes procedures such as screening, winnowing, compressing, re-drying, blending, piling and packing. Of all the refining steps, blending is the key, which decides the shape, scent, and color of the final tea product. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)