The Lingnan University Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies hosts the Chinese Tea Promotion in Young People Project Celebration of Achievements Ceremony and a public seminar on Classic Chinese Teas

The Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS) hosted the Celebration of Achievements Ceremony and a public Classic Chinese Teas Seminar on 10 January 2026 as part of the Chinese Tea Promotion to Young People project (the project). The event summarised the experiences of the past year, recognised the participation of students and volunteers in tea culture activities, and introduced the Chinese teas commonly enjoyed in Hong Kong to the public. The event attracted more than 150 participants, including elderly service units, Lingnan University students, secondary school students, and the public.

Prof Dickson Chan Chak-kwan, Director of APIAS, welcomed everyone, and thanked the social welfare organisations, secondary schools, and tea masters who supported the programme for working together to publicise the Chinese tea culture. He hopes that the Chinese tea programme will contribute to a healthy lifestyle .

Prof Chan presented certificates and service awards to the graduates of Lingnan University's Chinese Tea Artist Certificate Course, who had done 20 hours of training, and gone to Guangzhou for two consecutive days of practice and examinations for a vocational skills certification recognised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China. He praised the college students as well as the tea masters and volunteers who have assisted APIAS with community services over the past year, in recognition of their enthusiastic efforts to promote China’s tea culture.

The Project Officer Mr William Li Kin-ho announced the programme’s 2024-2025 achievements, which included training 15 university students to become future tea masters, organising more than 35 tea culture workshops, and holding five extensive seminars led by experts and scholars. He also reported on the results of a study on young people's tea-drinking habits, showing that the young who usually drink tea tend to consume far fewer sugary beverages. They choose Chinese tea not only for its aroma and flavour, but also because they are brought up with it, and these findings provide valuable insights for future Chinese tea culture promotion.

Student Ms Sin Chung-nga spoke of her studies and experiences in community service at elderly centres over the past two years. Student Ms Lam explained that her family influenced her to drink Chinese tea, and she is glad to have learned more about it through the programme. She said “My thanks to the Tin Ka Ping Foundation and Lingnan University for giving us the opportunity to learn about our Chinese tea culture.”

The Classic Chinese Teas Seminar was hosted by Ms Tang Mei, President of the Hong Kong Ancient Tea Culture Society (HKATCS), who talked about the craftsmanship and tasting methods of black tea, jasmine tea, and Tieguanyin, and gave an detailed description of the history and development of Pu’er tea. There was also a tea-tasting session, where programme-trained tea masters brewed and served four different famous Chinese teas.

APIAS’ Chinese Tea Promotion to Young People project has been sponsored by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation from 2024 to 2026. Activities include Chinese tea foundation courses at Lingnan University, and workshops encouraging the Chinese tea culture and healthy living habits in secondary schools and elderly centres in Kowloon and the New Territories for over 2,000 people.