Guangdong’s first Zen tea tourism and cultural conference was unveiled on April 28th, at Yunfu’s Xinxing County. It is a part of local government's efforts to develop the tea, tourism and cultural industry to boost economic growth.
Highlighting tourism, tea culture, Zen Buddhism and health-keeping, the three-day event drew numerous visitors with activities like art performances, tea planting ceremony, tea culture forum and workshop as well as promotion conference for local tea and tour, etc.
Experts and audiences on the Zen and tea culture forum [Photo provided to newsgd.com]
A forum, with "Zen and tea culture" theme, was held to invite experts and scholars to discuss the history, development and significance of Zen tea culture.
People got the chance of watching “fired tea”, an important process to produce tea leaves. [Photo provided to newsgd.com]
A child was trying to make a tea pot. [Photo provided to newsgd.com]
Art performance on the opening ceremony [Photo provided to newsgd.com]
The event was organized by the government of Xinxing County and undertaken by Guangdong Freely Hover Group, a Xinxing-based private enterprise focus on fields like hotel, tea and tourism.
As one of the most attractive destinations for leisure and tourism in China, Xinxing County is making effort to promote its tourism and cultural industry with its advantages in ecological resources and Zen Buddhism culture, said He Jing, vice mayor of Yunfu.
Statistics show that to date there are roughly 7,200 hectares of tea plantaion in the county with output of 500 tons of loose tea leaves or 120 million yuan per year. Particularly, the Xiangwo tea (a brand product including red tea and green tea) is one of the top ten famous tea in Guangdong.
The county has figured out two tourist routes highlighting Zen and tea, according to local authority. Also, an ecological park is built on the Xiangwo Mountain with investment of 800 million RMB, to serve for tea planting, leisure, sightseeing.
Backgrounder about Zen tea culture:
As for Zen culture, the Six Patriarch Hui Neng, founder of the Chinese Zen Buddhism was born and propagated Buddhist teachings in Xinxing, which left Yunfu city a profound Zen Buddhism culture.
Hui Neng is a Chinese Chán (Zen) monastic, and Chán is the Chinese word for meditation.
People believe that they drink tea can gain inspiration and enlightenment by appreciating and tasting the color, perfume and flavor of tea.
As part of Chinese culture, Confucianism calls for morality, or being upright; Taoism, integrity; and Buddhism, harmony. The words “upright, integrity, harmony and elegance” are four virtues which show the essence of Zen tea culture.
Related:
Yunfu won “Best Destination in China for Health-Keeping Traveling”
When high-tech meets Zen Buddhism culture
Yunfu Story: The Legendary Liuzu
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六祖故里举办广东首次禅茶旅游文化交流大会
4月28日晚，2018广东云浮·新兴禅茶旅游文化交流大会在广东省云浮市新兴县象窝山生态园隆重开幕。
据了解，本次大会由新兴县人民政府主办，广东翔顺集团有限公司承办，是广东首个禅茶旅游文化交流大会，是六祖故里新兴县面向全省、乃至全国的一次重要展示。
广东省文化厅党组书记、厅长汪一洋，广东省林业厅党组成员、副厅长廖庆祥，广东省旅游局党组成员、副局长曾晓峰，中共云浮市委书记、市人大常委会主任庞国梅，云浮市政协主席黄达辉，中共云浮市委常委、宣传部部长郭亦乐，云浮市副市长何婧，以及广东省民宗委、省农业厅等省市有关部门和新兴县四套班子领导，来自国内文化、旅游、茶叶领域的著名专家学者等近千人出席交流大会开幕式。
副市长何婧在致辞中表示，近年来，云浮狠抓“招商、建城、改革”三件大事，加快传统产业升级，大力发展“四新一特”产业，积极推进传统文化传承展“1234”工程，区位优势不断凸显，产业承载能力不断提高，成功创建了全国卫生城市、国家园林城市、省文明城市。
新兴县有着深厚的人文底蕴和悠久的文物古迹，是中国禅宗思想的发祥地，有“中国最具魅力文化旅游名县”、“中国最美乡村休闲旅游胜地”之称。新兴县委、县政府认真贯彻省、市的决策部署，大力实施乡村振兴战略，抢抓旅游文化产业发展机遇，结合自然生态资源和禅宗文化优势，发展“旅游+文化”产业，打造独特的禅宗文化旅游品牌，促进旅游产业、文化产业深度融合发展，为脱贫攻坚、全面建成小康、乡村振兴奠定基础。
中共新兴县委书记唐谊表示，新兴禅茶文化历史悠久，目前全县种茶面积1.1万亩，年产量100万斤，产值1.2亿多元，其中象窝茶是“广东省十大名茶”。
新兴县全县干部群众将根据“乡村振兴战略”的要求，以举办此次文化交流大会为契机，为云浮市乃至广东省在实施乡村振兴战略中走在全省、全国前列作出新兴贡献。
据悉，近年来，新兴县积极响应国家号召，着力打好“六祖牌”，以弘扬优秀传统文化为主题，大力开展禅意生态旅游品牌建设活动，全面打造“禅意生态名城”。凭借得天独厚的人文资源优势、优越的自然生态环境，该县走出了以茶入禅，以“茶”为媒的“文化+旅游”“文化+经济”“文化+农业”的乡村振兴发展新路径，涌现出以象窝生态园、象窝禅茶为代表的禅茶文化精品。
本次文化交流大会的举办地——象窝生态园，由广东翔顺集团斥资8亿元开发，园区集种植、休闲、观光、科普、健身于一体。
据了解，本次文化交流大会大咖云集、亮点纷呈。
笔者在现场了解到，开幕式围绕禅茶主题策划和创作，通过优美的音诗画表演串联起来，融合民乐、醒狮、朗诵、舞蹈等多种艺术表演形式，让观众感受禅乡旅游的魅力。
与此同时，大会还设立了十二个特色茶展位，邀请了省内外知名茶品牌、名优茶叶和茶衍生产品的生产商、代理商、经销商，展出茶叶、茶器具等展品，以茶为媒，以茶会友，游客在感受到浓郁的禅茶文化之余，还能买到物超所值的茶产品。
29日上午，“禅茶一味”高峰论坛在象窝山举行，论坛围绕“禅意与茶道·发展与前景”为主题，邀请国家级禅茶旅游文化的专家学者云集象窝山，深刻阐释禅茶文化的历史、内涵、发展与变化，并全方位解读禅茶文化的现实意义。
29日下午，高端精品茶发布暨禅都生态游精品推介会、主题书法表演、游园活动、茶礼会等活动也陆续进行。高端精品茶发布会将汇聚各高端茶品，诚邀禅茶、旅游等行业嘉宾，见证禅乡象窝禅茶新品出炉，并推介新兴禅乡生态游的特色精品线路，让观众感受禅乡旅游的魅力。
其中，广东翔顺象窝禅茶公司将隆重推出系列精品茶。包括精致打造的富有禅宗文化产业特色的禅茶特品、象窝茶人文化60年制茶技法传承人手工茶、源自1958年的臻品春茶等，全面展示禅乡象窝禅茶厚重的历史文化。
30日上午，将有“想我，就为我种棵茶”等活动。据了解，本次文化交流大会的活动前期推出了“齐齐来种茶，免费住象窝”和“想我，就为我种棵茶”的H5系列小游戏，抽取全省乃至全国的100位幸运儿，他们带上家人、情侣或好友，在文化交流大会期间到象窝生态茶园种上一棵禅意十足的茶树，实地感受象窝山的独特魅力和禅意生活。
(南方日报新兴视窗：谭笑)
