Elaborate efforts

People in Chaozhou prefer the finer things in life－that doesn't mean buying luxury goods and having an expensive lifestyle, but rather, means that they make elaborate efforts to refine all aspects of their daily life and appreciate things such as exquisite craftsmanship and tasteful architecture.

There is an old saying that Chaozhou's farming is likened to subtle embroidery. It expresses the recognition of local farmers' continuous efforts to improve technologies and increase the yields of their crops.

Gongfu tea, a local tea ritual, is an exemplary case to demonstrate Chaozhou people's attitude to life. It is so popular citywide that almost wherever visitors go, they will be greeted with the ritual.

Chaozhou delicacy. CHINA DAILY

Different from the practice of brewing tea for a while in a normal cup in northern China, the typical tea set used in the gongfu tea ritual can be described as being "miniature". Instead of waiting for the tea to cool down, it takes just a few minutes to serve a steaming cup of tea during a gongfu tea ritual. After a sip of the strong tea, the taste lingers with subtle sweetness that brings relaxation and refreshment.

The ritual has a set of procedures passed down from ancient times, which has been listed among China's national intangible cultural heritage. "It is not for personal ostentation but shows our lifestyle. That is, no matter how hard we work, we can still manage to find a way of enjoying ourselves," Huang said. "You may find villagers taking a tea set with themselves when they go farming. During a break near their fields, they'll have a cup of tea to relax."

Ye Hanzhong, an inheritor of the cultural heritage, said that though the gongfu sounds like kung fu, it has nothing to do with the martial art. Rather, it means focusing attention and elaborate effort to make the tea.

There is no unnecessary step in the ritual－all the procedures and standards were designed to make a cup of satisfactory tea for guests－from choice of tea utensils to tea-making techniques and tasting tips, he said. "The ritual itself is a dialogue between people and tea, the host and guests. The intangible cultural heritage is also a vehicle for communication, promoting the folk conventions and unique lifestyles."