Green Tea Processing (West Lake Longjing)

West Lake Longjing tea originated in the Tang, gained fame through the Song to Ming, and flourished in the Qing. Grown around Hangzhou's West Lake, its hand-roasting craft was inscribed on the second national ICH list in 2008.

Leaves are picked before the Qingming and Guyu solar terms, then withered and pan-fired by hand using "ten techniques" of the palm in a hot wok to shape the flat, smooth leaf.

In 2022 "traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices" entered UNESCO's representative list, with West Lake Longjing among its key components and a symbol of Jiangnan tea culture.

The craft is carried on in the old tea villages of the West Lake Longjing district.