A lesson steeped in tradition

On a quiet morning at Chengnan Middle School in Xiangqiao district in Chaozhou, Guangdong province, the familiar scent of tea drifted across the campus, soft but unmistakable.

In a classroom temporarily transformed into a tea space, Ye Hanzhong — a national-level representative inheritor of Chaozhou gongfu cha, a traditional tea-drinking practice that demonstrates the skills of the Chaozhou people in making the drink — patiently guided students, teachers and parents through the rituals of brewing and tasting.

With each movement of the teapot, he unfolded not only the techniques, but also the values and worldview distilled into a single cup. From water temperature and timing to the etiquette of serving, Ye spoke in the cadence of tea itself — measured, attentive, unhurried.

He introduced the students to a simplified system refined from the tradition's 21 classic movements. Covering preparation, brewing and sharing, the demonstration offered a practical entry point into a centuries-old practice without losing the essence of gongfu cha.

Yet, the lesson went far beyond tea. In Ye's telling, gongfu cha is a quiet philosophy of life: the discipline of striving for precision, the wisdom of harmony, and the enduring virtue of hospitality.

Proper preparation teaches patience; seizing the right moment determines success; attention to detail shapes quality; and sharing the final brew reflects cooperation and mutual respect. When the students later served the tea to their teachers and parents, the ritual reached its most intimate moment — an unspoken expression of respect and gratitude.

Students also presented teathemed creative works they had designed, which deeply moved Ye.

"The students' creativity allows me to see the future inheritance of Chaozhou people's cultural DNA," he says.

Rooted in everyday life rather than courtly ceremony, Chaozhou gongfu cha has always belonged to the people. In 2022, it was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as part of the "traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China".

Today, it is finding new pathways into classrooms and younger generations, extending beyond its origin to a wider world.

President Xi Jinping noted during his visit to Chaozhou in October 2020 that the region's tea culture — alongside its embroidery, porcelain, wood carving, sculpture, opera and cuisine — constitutes a precious strand of Chinese civilization.

He urged better protection of the city's heritage, noting that proactive efforts should be made to train inheritors of the intangible cultural legacy.