Character Development To Promote Traditional Tea Culture: Focusing on China's intangible cultural heritage “Tea Baixi”

Chinese tea culture is believed to have originated during the Shennong era, with a history of at least 4700 years. Despite its rich cultural heritage, tea is mainly enjoyed by the middle-aged and elderly. To expand its market and pass on tea culture to younger generations, this study focuses on developing cultural characters based on the intangible cultural heritage of “Tea Baixi”.The study began with a review of relevant materials and literature on “Tea Baixi”. It then analyzed the character traits favored by Generation Z, using five award-winning cultural characters from China’s annual IP selection. These insights were used to create character sketches, which were evaluated through surveys based on originality, approachability, diversity, consistency, and interest inducement, leading to feasible character designs.This research creatively reinterprets “Tea Baixi”, linking traditional culture with modern lifestyles through innovative character design. It aims to offer new perspectives for cultural transmission and explore the application of character design in cultural heritage preservation and innovation.