3. Chinese tea making joins UNESCO list

Traditional tea processing techniques and their associated social practices in China were added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, on Nov 29.

The status was conferred by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, hosted in Rabat, Morocco. It consists of knowledge, skills and practices concerning management of tea plantations, picking of tea leaves, and the processing, drinking, and sharing of tea.

According to UNESCO, in China traditional tea processing techniques are closely associated with geographical locations and natural environments, resulting in a distribution range between 18°-37° N and 94°-122° E.

The inscription of the element is the 43rd entry from China on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, whose total tops all other countries.