“Tea for Harmony” – Tea Culture in Sichuan

Tea is a time-honored art in everyday life, and an idyllic existence condensed in time. In 2019, the United Nations declared May 21 as International Tea Day. In November 2022, Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity.

Tea offers opportunity for emotional interaction. Treat your guest with a cup of tea, no matter where he or she comes from, we greet the world with tea. On May 7, 2023, China Cultural Center in Stockholm, Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Ya’an Municipal People’s Government hosted “Tea for Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon” where over a hundred Chinese and Swedish friends were invited to a tea tasting with performances of the vigorous and heroic “Longxing Tea Art with 18 Moves”, the tranquil and elegant “Tianfeng Tea Art with 12 moves” and the magical face changing in Sichuan Opera. Ya’an, Sichuan, the origin of world tea culture and the place of scientific discovery of giant pandas, has been better known in Sweden.

On May 8, at the request of people who did not get a seat on May 7, an additional performance dedicated to the youth was given. Apart from appreciating tea art, guests were also wowed by the traditional Chinese art of fencing.