Traditional oil tea big business in Guangxi

Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A7

October 13, 2020

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Traditional oil tea big business in Guangxi

Source: Xinhua | 00:00 UTC+8 October 13, 2020 |

Print Edition

Dressed in traditional Yao ethnic costume, 56-year-old Lu Zhonglan pounds oil tea leaves in a pot while singing a folk song.

Lu hails from Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where oil tea is deemed the “signature” of the region.

Also known as Chinese coffee in Guangxi, the unique variety of tea has gained popularity among Yao people as it can improve digestion, among other health benefits.

In 2008, Gongcheng oil tea was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangxi. Meanwhile, it set a Guinness World Record in 2019 after 2,019 people made oil tea simultaneously.

“A cup of oil tea marks the start of our day, and we have it every day,” said Lu, adding that oil tea is an important cultural symbol of the county and it is the essence of the local Yao food culture.

Several steps are involved in the preparation of this special tea, including washing, frying, pounding and boiling, among which pounding is the essence.

“Pounding will make oil tea much more aromatic. We usually drink the tea in a bowl adding salt, fried rice and peanuts,” said Lu.

Sales booming

Ou Xinjie, the owner of an oil tea restaurant, said sales are improving and more than 1,000 people come to his restaurant every day.

“We are going to make oil tea bags and sell them through e-commerce sites,” said Ou.

In 2019, the sales revenue of the local oil tea industry reached 520 million yuan, with more than 3,400 jobs created.

Oil tea has boosted the local cultural tourism industry. The recent 10th Oil Tea Cultural Festival in Gongcheng saw more than 100 oil tea banquets and featured oil tea-related dances.

“This is my first time to drink oil tea. Although it tasted a little bitter initially, I got used to it after drinking a few times. I love the ingredients,” said Wang Yuan, a tourist from Sichuan Province.

“Oil tea is our county’s claim to fame. As an oil tea inheritor, I’m happy to display our culture to more visitors. I would like to welcome people to Gongcheng for a cup,” said Lan Runping.

Nation

About Us
|
Terms of Use
|
RSS
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
Shanghai Call Center: 962288
|
Tip-off hotline: 52920043

沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
|
互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
|
网络视听许可证：0909346
|
广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
|
增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012

Traditional oil tea big business in Guangxi

Email this to your friend