| A tea maker screens fragmentary tealeaves with a sieve to make Enshi Yulu Tea or Jade Dew Tea in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hubei province, April 30, 2011. The Jade Dew Tea, originating from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and popular during the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911), is one of the very few types of steamed green teas in China. The fresh tealeaves can only be processed from early April to early May with tealeaves steamed first and then rolled, dried and picked totally by hand. During the process of making the tea, the tea makers have to stand for a long time and have hands bear high temperature, so very few young people are now willing to learn the skill, making the craftsmanship on the verge of death. Li Zongmeng and Lei Yuangui, professional Jade Dew Tea makers, have been engaged in manually making the tea for 40 years here. [Xinhua] |
