People pay tribute to Lu Yu at his grave in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on April 5. [Photo/hz66.com]

More than 150 tea lovers across China gathered in Huzhou, Zhejiang province on April 5 to commemorate Lu Yu, who compiled The Classic of Tea, which is said to be first monograph about tea culture in the world.

These tea lovers participated in a sacrificial ceremony held at Lu's grave in the Zhushan Mountain Cultural Garden, Xisai Mountain Tourism Resort, during the Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, which falls on April 5 this year.

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Lu Yu came to Huzhou and became friends with Shi Jingran, the abbot of Miaoxi Temple in the city's Wuxing district. Lu spent the rest of his life there and compiled The Classic of Tea before he was buried on Shushan Mountain.

In recent years, Huzhou has been developing its tourism sector by leveraging its reputation as the hometown of the tea master, with a bevy of tourism facilities as well as cultural events themed on Lu being set up in the city.

In late November 2022, the processing techniques of Zisun tea, which was hailed as the best tea by Lu Yu in The Classic of Tea, and Anji White tea from Huzhou, were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.