Tea-sealing tradition gets a new lease of life

One legend says that the process of sealing tea and letting it age began after Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) visited Hangzhou in Zhejiang province.

But there are those who say the tradition is much older.

Zhou Fan, director of the ancient tea institute at the Chinese Tea Culture Research Institute, says: "The tradition actually has a history of more than 1,000 years, and began in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).