The "Tea God" competition of Xiamen Tieguanyin was won by contestant No. 2, Lai Hui Zhi.
The final match of the first-ever "Tea God" competition of Xiamen Tieguanyin, a three-strong contest, was held at the Ruijing Commercial City Square within Xiamen Island.
The first question in the competition was to identify tea by its aroma. After tasting different teas served by the etiquette ladies, the three contestants had to confirm the tea samples they tasted within 10 seconds from seven tea samples. All three contestants scored full marks on this question.
The following competition items also included identifying tea with eyes closed, tea ceremony etiquette exams, understanding of tea ceremony, and sharing of participation feelings. After all the segments were successfully completed, the total scores of contestant No. 1, Chen Zhen Peng, and contestant No. 2, Lai Hui Zhi, were still tied. The judges and the audience on-site then decided the winner through bonus points. Contestant No. 2, Lai Hui Zhi, won the first place in the inaugural Xiamen Tieguanyin Tea God Competition, contestant No. 1, Chen Zhen Peng, came in second place, and contestant No. 3, Lin Zhi Yi, came in third place. An award ceremony for the top five contestants of the Tea God Competition was also held on-site. Ju Ai Li, Deputy Director of the Tong'an District Tourism Bureau, and Zou Zhen Dong, Director of Xiamen Satellite TV, jointly presented the award to the winner of the Tea God title, Lai Hui Zhi.
The first-ever "Tea God" competition of Xiamen Tieguanyin was co-organized by the Tong'an District Tourism Bureau and Xiamen Satellite TV. The Tong'an District Tourism Bureau expressed that with the improvement of living standards and the prosperity of the tea market, a new form of tourism integrating tea culture with leisure travel - tea culture experience tours - is quietly gaining popularity. The Tong'an District Tourism Bureau will use this Tea God Competition as a platform, taking tea culture as the carrier, to enhance the "leisure tourism" brand of Tong'an. Deputy Director Ju Ai Li hopes to make this Tieguanyin "Tea God" competition the highest-standard tea cultural tourism event in the Minnan region, showcasing the unique characteristics of Tong'an's tea culture and tourism.
Wu Wen Nan, a tea doctorate and judge of this competition, told reporters: "The tea culture of Minnan has a long history, rich in the connotations of tea ceremony, and profound in tea cultural heritage, while 'Tieguanyin' is world-renowned. This competition is a high-scale, high-level championship in our city's tea industry and also the best opportunity for tea-tasting contestants to showcase themselves. I hope all participants adhere to the spirit of 'friendship first, competition second', fully demonstrating their superb tea artistry and elegant tea ceremonies, bringing more beauty to people."
Deputy Director Ju Ai Li of the Tong'an District Tourism Bureau told reporters: "With the improvement of living standards and the prosperity of the tea market, a new form of tourism integrating tea culture with leisure travel - tea culture experience tours - is quietly gaining popularity. The Tong'an Tourism Bureau will use this Tea God Championship as a platform, taking tea culture as the carrier, to enhance the 'leisure tourism' brand of Tong'an. Through the tourism market, we aim to boost tea sales, while using the promotion and extension of tea culture to enrich Tong'an's tourism projects. We encourage various scenic spots to integrate tea culture with tourism, enhancing the cultural content of the scenic areas and increasing their tourism offerings, attracting more tourists to visit Tong'an. We aim to make this Tieguanyin 'Tea God' Championship the highest-standard tea cultural tourism event in the Minnan region, showcasing the unique characteristics of Tong'an's tea culture and tourism."