Pic story: tea making instructor in SW China

Guo Jun walks with freshly-picked tea leaves in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 27, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun (5th L) remarks on tea leaves his students processed at a local technical school in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 27, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun gives a lesson on tea making at a local technical school in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 28, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun (1st R) talks with his students about tea making technique at a local technical school in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 28, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun (3rd R) and his students pluck tea leaves in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 29, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun plucks tea leaves in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 27, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun (2nd R, front) teaches his student to bake tea leaves in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 27, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun looks at a cup of tea his student brewed in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 29, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun (2nd R) and his teacher Liu Xiaohua (1st R) watch a student brew tea at a local technical school in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 29, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Guo Jun (R) walks with his students carrying freshly-picked tea leaves in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 29, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

In this aerial photo, Guo Jun (2nd R) and his students pluck tea leaves in Meitan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, April 29, 2022. Busy toasting tea leaves on a stove, Guo Jun basks in the fresh aroma filling a workshop in Meitan County. After graduating from Guizhou University in 2016, Guo returned to his hometown to work at a tea company, where he learned tea making from a local master. In 2018, he became an instructor at a local technical school two years later. Honing one's tea-making skills demands huge reserves of patience, empathy and a strong sense of vocation. "My students and I have to bake while kneading the leaves by hand. Our hands often get burned on the wok, leaving them blisters," Guo recalled. "We, the younger generation, should cherish traditional tea making technique while tapping its innovative potential," he said. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)