On March 17, the Bingwu Year China White Tea Ancestor Taimu Worship Ceremony took place at Taimushan, Ningde Global Geopark. At 10:50 a.m., blares of horns and rolling drums marked the start of the ritual. The chief officiant washed his hands, presented tea and read the sacrificial oration. Following ancient rituals strictly, the Three Offerings Ceremony was performed to pay tribute to the enduring heritage and thriving industry of white tea. Next came the elegant and solemn Eight-Row Dance. All attendees stood in reverence, presented flower baskets to Goddess Taimu and bowed three times, conveying profound respect from generations of tea practitioners for the ancestor of white tea.

Centered on the theme Honor Taimu, Unite the World with Tea, the ceremony upheld ancient etiquette and traditional Han customs. Divided into four segments — tea picking, tea passing, incense offering and worship — it carries forward the spirit of Goddess Taimu: kindness, benevolence, dedication and devotion to the people, and endows Fuding white tea industry with profound cultural connotations.

Surrounded by sea on three sides, Taimushan boasts a unique geography and climate, nurturing the oldest original white tea trees. Goddess Taimu is revered as the ancestor of Chinese white tea. Listed as one of the sixth batch of representative intangible cultural heritage items of Fuding City, this worship ceremony serves as a vital platform for local tea farmers and enterprises to express gratitude to the ancestor and pass down time-honored tea culture.