Two types of tea culture are inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list: Chinese tea-making and the hospitality of West Asia are both recognised by the UN.

We often mention the United Nations and its sustainability goals when we talk about International Tea Day, but did you know the organisation also documents Intangible Cultural Heritage through UNESCO? Intangible Cultural Heritage is a way of preserving those elements that are not embodied in monuments and artefacts, which may include traditions, rituals or festivals, plus performing arts such as dance or craft processes such as pottery-making. It is primarily concerned with ‘living expressions’ of culture that connect the past with the present and aims to maintain them for the future.

In 2022, the UN inscribed Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription covers everything from the cultivation of tea plants to the consumption of tea in China, recognising its agricultural importance and the skill of the people involved in the production process, as well as its role in society.

“Tea is ubiquitous in the Chinese people’s daily life… The practice of greeting guests and building relationships within families and among neighbours through tea-related activities is common to multiple ethnic groups, providing a sense of shared identity and continuity for the communities.”

That’s hardly surprising for the home of tea. On the other side of Asia, however, the Culture of Çay (tea) practised in Azerbaijan and Türkiye (pictured above) was also acknowledged in 2022. Although the UN recognises tea cultivation in this region, the heritage inscription emphasised the service and drinking part of their tea culture, which is fitting as Türkiye regularly tops lists for the country with the highest consumption of tea per capita in the world.

“Tea culture in Azerbaijan and Türkiye is an important social practice that shows hospitality, builds and maintains social ties, and is used to celebrate important moments in the lives of communities… Tea culture is an essential part of daily life for all layers of society, providing a strong sense of cultural identity.”

So whether you drink cha or çay, know that every brew connects you to the history of tea culture and that every sip helps shepherd it into the future.

This article originally appeared in AUSTCS enews 23 July 2024.