Photo taken on May 17, 2023 shows students at a tea party featuring Chinese tea culture held in the Tauranga Intermediate School in Tauranga, a coastal city on New Zealand's North Island. (Photo by Luo Min/Xinhua)

"The connections we share over the cup of tea are simple, special, and warm. May we do that with people who we care most about," said New Zealand Member of Parliament Arena Williams.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 22  -- Chinese tea culture was celebrated at the Auckland Botanic Gardens in New Zealand on Sunday, with visitors and tourists immersed in tea-making demonstrations, tea-tasting experiences, and cultural performances.

The "Tea for Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon" at the Auckland Botanic Gardens was part of a global event to promote China's tea culture. It was also part of International Tea Day, marked on May 21 every year locally and internationally.

Sunday's celebration featured tea-making demonstrations, tea tasting, traditional Chinese music instrument and dance performances, and keynote speeches by members of parliament, culture researchers and tea lovers.