The 2021 International Tea Conference and Third Global Forum for Directors of Tea Research Institutes were held in Hangzhou on Nov. 25-26. The events were cohosted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Tea Research Institute and the China Tea Science Society. Vice President of CAAS Sun Tan attended and addressed the opening ceremony via video, while Chinese Academy of Engineering Academician Chen Zongmao delivered a report on “Key Effects of Water-soluble Chemical Pollutants on the Consumer Safety of Beverage Crops.”

The conference discussed the integrated development of tea culture, the tea industry, and tea technology. Research institute heads from major tea-producing countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania introduced developments in their tea industries and innovations in tea technology. Experts from prestigious higher education institutions and research institutions in Germany, the USA, Japan, South Korea and other countries also shared the latest achievements in tea technology and tea culture research.

The conference released a Report on China’s Tea Industry and Technology Development, showing the world the progress achieved in the Chinese tea industry during the 13th Five-year Plan Period (2016-2020), and unveiled a list of winners of the first Lu Yu Awards, presented by the China Tea Science Society.

As a follow-up to the Hangzhou Declaration, which was formulated at the Second Global Forum for Directors of Tea Research Institutes in May 2019, this conference aimed to serve as the most influential global platform for the exchange of technological achievements in the tea industry. In addition, it aimed to fully leverage the great potential and positive impacts of international cooperation to advance tea technology and facilitate high-quality development of tea technology and the tea industry worldwide.

Over 100 participants attended the conference in person, including heads of tea-related universities, colleges and research institutes in Zhejiang Province, experts and scholars, international students, and graduate students. Meanwhile, a total of 310,000 representatives from the rest of China and abroad attended the conference virtually through online streaming.