Yongchun tea（永春茶）

On May 10, 2024, a group of teachers and students from the College of Chinese International Education/Overseas Education College visited Yongchun to establish a joint tea culture study base and carry out a tea culture experience activity for international students.

Yongchun County is one of China's important tea production bases. Tea varieties such as Yongchun Finger Citron and Narcissus are renowned both at home and abroad for their excellent quality. Led by Mr. Liu Xiaobin, a teacher from the tea factory, the teachers and students visited a tea garden nestled among the green mountains. The intertwined branches of the tea trees and the fragrant aroma of the tea leaves highlighted the strong vitality of this original ecological, pollution-free tea garden. Strolling through the naturally grown tea bushes and listening to Teacher Liu's professional explanations, the teachers and students gained a further understanding of tea plant cultivation, tea growth, and picking.

Tea Brewing and Tasting

The teachers and students participated in and experienced a tea brewing and tasting activity. Boiling water, warming the pot, brewing the tea, steeping it – under the skillful hands of the professional teacher, a rich and pleasant tea aroma filled the room, allowing everyone to truly appreciate the unique charm of tea. Students learned about relevant knowledge such as water temperature and steeping time for brewing tea, and tasted Yongchun Narcissus, Finger Citron, jasmine tea, and oolong tea. Different types of tea exuded different fragrances, providing everyone with a dual enjoyment for both the nose and the palate during the tasting. Wang Minglu from Belarus personally experienced the tea brewing process under the teacher's guidance and then acted as a little teacher in the class, leading other students in the experience. The teacher explained the art of tea tasting, encompassing multiple dimensions such as observing the tea liquor, appreciating the aroma, savoring the taste, and feeling the texture, giving the students a deeper understanding of tea tasting.

Tea Factory Tour

During the tour of the tea factory, the students were full of interest. They observed the entire processing workflow from fresh leaves to finished tea products, including key steps such as solar withering, indoor withering, tossing, fixation, rolling, and drying. Mr. Liu Xiaobin explained the purpose and details of each step to the students, drawing admiration from the international students present. Master Wang, from a family of tea makers spanning three generations, explained the production techniques of oolong tea to everyone, further allowing the students to feel the craftsmanship spirit of tea makers and the unique charm of Chinese tea culture as an intangible cultural heritage.

This activity not only allowed the college's international students to further experience the charm of Chinese tea culture, comprehend the connotations of tea culture, and grasp the spirit of the Tea Ceremony through personal experience, transforming textbook knowledge into tangible practical activities, but also provided them with an important practical platform for deepening their understanding of tea culture.