Yu says that dozens of new shops have opened in urban areas, some of them over 1,000 square meters in size.

Wei Yi has opened one in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, that appeals to young consumers.

She has decorated the shop with ethnic elements of the Guangxi region, and offers crossword puzzles to add to the experience.

"I opened the shop because my family members love drinking oil tea," she says.

Wei visited Gongcheng county to study the traditional making process, and then produced a range of flavors to cater to the market, a strategy that has proved a success.

She says she has noticed that her customers are interested in traditional flavors of the tea.

Zhou has made a point of integrating the tea tradition with modern life, striving to inject vitality into the form of cultural heritage.

In addition to making oil tea, he has worked with a team to produce bottled low-calorie oil tea, canned oil tea paste, and an oil tea-based hotpot soup, to appeal to customers far and wide.

Zhou has also taken on apprentices from abroad, which he says will help spread oil tea culture further afield.

"I'm setting up classes for the younger generation interested in oil tea preparation and its culture,"Zhou says.

As a result of efforts by local government and tea makers, such as Zhou, Gongcheng oil tea was recommended as a diplomatic gift by six national government organs, including the Ministry of Commerce, in 2022.

Zhou is currently studying the history of oil tea customs and changes to tea practices to provide more theoretical support to pass the heritage on.

"Getting the award for being an outstanding individual nationwide is not only recognition of my personal efforts, but of the Gongcheng oil tea's value as precious cultural heritage," Zhou says.

He adds that this has given him more incentives to train people in the way of oil tea, engage in cultural exchange and cooperation, and apply science, such as smart production and digitalized exhibition, to broaden possibilities for the tea.

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn