Wuxing district in Zhejiang's Huzhou city held the 1st Wuxing Lu Yu Tea Culture Festival from April 20 to 22 to celebrate the 1,285th birthday of Lu Yu (733-804) and promote the local tea culture.

Lu, born during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), lived in Wuxing for more than 30 years and wrote the Book of Tea – the world's first book dedicating to tea culture. This earned him the title of China's Sage of Tea.

On the morning of April 22, a tea-serving ceremony was held in front of Lu's grave. Experts and scholars of tea culture and representatives from enterprises and communities attended to show their respect for the Sage of Tea.

An official in charge of the festival explained, "The ceremony is not only to commemorate the Sage of Tea, but also to pass on and promote traditional culture."

In recent years, Wuxing has been taking measures to preserve and renovate tea-related historic sites and facilities and working to popularize tea culture around the world.

Officials from the China International Tea Culture Institute spoke highly of Wuxing's efforts to promote tea culture, "Tea culture has become a way to connect people from all over the world. It is boosting local economic growth."

Wuxing district, Huzhou, Zhejiang province holds a tea-serving ceremony on April 22 in honor of Lu Yu, China's Sage of Tea. [Photo/Xinhua]