Measures needed to ensure people enjoy a good cup of tea

Editor's note: China's traditional tea processing techniques and practices are inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Tea culture embodies the Chinese culture of harmony between humans and nature, individuals and society, writes a veteran journalist with China Daily.

The inclusion of China's traditional tea processing techniques and their associated social practices in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity late last year came to me as a surprise. Not because the techniques and practices are not part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity but because, unlike many other heritages that are dying, tea is gaining in popularity in its birth place, China, as well as across the world.

Tea making and drinking is China's 44th entry into UNESCO's representative heritage list. Judging by the previous entries, it appears the heritages are ancient artistic forms or practices which are now rarely practiced or draw little audience.