The International Conference on Advances in Tea (AITea2017) was held in Bandaranaike Memorial International Convention Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka, from August 12th to 15th, 2017. Thirty participants from the Department of Tea Science attended the AITea2017, among whom twenty gave oral or E-post presentations. The AITea2017 was co-hosted by the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research, the Sri Lanka Tea Board, the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka and the Colombo Tea Traders Association. More than 200 tea experts from China, Korea, Japan, India, Kenya, Australia, Germany and Sri Lanka attended the AITea2017 and shared their research experiences.  

The Sri Lankan President Maithreepala Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sent a congratulatory letter to the convening of the AITea2017 respectively. Lakshman Kiriella, the Minister of Higher Educations and Highways, Susil Premajayantha, the Minister of Science, Technology and Research, and Navin Dissanayake, the Minister of Plantation Industry of Sri Lanka attended the opening ceremony of AITea2017 and gave welcome address, respectively.

The themes of the conference include the healthy benefits of tea, the science and technology of tea, and the art of tea. During the keynote speech of the conference, delegates from China, Korea, Kenya, Japan, India and Sri Lanka reported their country perspectives for tea industry respectively. Twenty-five oral presentations and thirty-six E-post presentations were given by experts from 8 countries. On the field trip, the participates visited the black tea producing base in Nuwara Eliya, the second large city of Sri Lanka, on which they enjoyed the growth environments, the growing management and processing techniques of Ceylon black tea.

(by Zheng Xinqiang )

1. Group photo of conference

2. Group photo of participants from our university

3. E-post presentation-student

4. Hand plucking tea

5.Celon balck tea sensory evaluation