Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian expressed appreciation for the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization's recognition of traditional Chinese tea making as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."
In a Facebook post, Huang pointed out the importance of Chinese tea-making in establishing friendly connections with other people.
"Tea is always a good choice to bond with friends old and new, and it was indeed a pleasure to brew a cup of China's finest tea leaves as we savor the beauty of one of China's most treasured intangible cultural heritage," Huang said.
The post was accompanied by five photos where he led a traditional Chinese tea-making ceremony with two other embassy officials and two members of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Association of the Philippines.
Chinese Embassy Media Officer Jack Hong told Daily Tribune that the photos were taken from a cultural event titled "Welcome to Xiamen City" last Thursday.
UNESCO added the techniques and processes of Chinese tea making during the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rabat, Morocco on 29 November.
Chinese tea, UNESCO said, bears numerous traditions in terms of preparation, processing, serving, and consumption:
"The practice of greeting guests and building relationships within families and among neighbors through tea-related activities is common to multiple ethnic groups, providing a sense of shared identity and continuity for the communities," it added.