Casa Pacheco Leão, in Rio's Botanical Garden, reopens with exhibition on the tea route

Rio's historic building will open to the public on November 21 with the unprecedented exhibition “Tea Route - Botany, Culture and Tradition”, as part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brazil and China.
Cariocas and tourists have yet another cultural option. The renovation of Casa Pacheco Leão - one of the most emblematic historic buildings in Rio de Janeiro's Botanical Garden - was completed in October. The public will be able to visit the attraction from November 21, when the unprecedented exhibition “Rota do Chá - Botânica, Cultura e Tradição” (Tea Route - Botany, Culture and Tradition) will begin. The handover of the building and the exhibition are part of the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and China. Admission to the House is free and tickets can be obtained at jbrj.eleventickets.com. It will be open from Thursday to Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With an investment of R$2.7 million, approved by the Ministry of Culture through the Federal Culture Incentive Law (Rouanet Law), sponsored by State Grid Brazil Holding and Banco BOCOM BBM, the project aims to renovate and maintain this historic building, where cultural activities will be held that are open to the public.
The president of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Sergio Besserman Vianna, highlights the importance of the institution's new cultural space.

Renovation and improvements to Casa Pacheco Leão
Closed for around eight years, the house where the doctor Antônio Pacheco Leão, director of the Botanical Garden from 1915 to 1931, lived underwent maintenance and restoration work for six months. With two floors, ten rooms, four bathrooms and a pantry, the eclectic-style building has had the original colors of its walls restored in various shades, as well as the blue windows, external doors and railings and the green internal frames.
Other relics recovered are the artistic paintings on the walls, the staircase and the original flooring. The building also received an elevator and accessible bathrooms. The entire process was authorized and monitored by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN).
- This house was a meeting place for great scientists such as Adolpho Ducke, João Geraldo Kuhlmann, Alexandre Curt Brade and Alberto Löfgren. It's fascinating to see this place, which preserves so many original details, reopened to the public. Now, everyone will be able to explore the universe of a man who dedicated his life to the study and preservation of the national flora - says Iphan's superintendent in Rio de Janeiro, Patrícia Wanzeller.
One of the attractions of the Botanical Garden's cultural corridor, as well as being a home, the space has already been used as research laboratories and, for some years, the JBRJ's Environmental Education Center.

Tea Route - Botany, Culture and Tradition exhibition: Immersive and sensory
The “Tea Route - Botany, Culture and Tradition” exhibition, with an investment of around R$1.4 million, was organized by Dellarte Soluções Culturais, and traces the history of tea from its ancestral origins in China to its global dissemination, highlighting the rituals, arts and social evolution associated with its production and consumption. The program includes musical performances, lectures and workshops, and admission is free. The aim is for the public to immerse themselves in the rich cultural tapestry of tea, exploring its origins, its global journey and its role in building connections between different cultures, especially between Brazil and China.
The Rio Botanical Garden is part of this story, as it was the first place in Brazil where the cultivation of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) was introduced, by Chinese brought by the Portuguese crown especially for this work, at the beginning of the 19th century. The military naturalist João Gomes da Silveira Mendonça was in charge of the Botanical Garden between 1809 and 1823, when the Chinese arrived in Brazil and began cultivating the plant. His successor Frei Leandro do Sacramento was a pioneer in the study and publication of tea cultivation in the country.

A drink consumed worldwide
Tea, as well as being a drink consumed worldwide, carries with it millennia of history, traditions and rituals that transcend borders. It is a liquid representation of cultures from different peoples and eras. By focusing on the history of tea, the project emphasizes not only the importance of the drink, but also the multiple stories and cultural interactions it has inspired over the centuries. The project is positioned as an innovative experience, in line with global trends in museology and heritage education, reinforcing the country's commitment to preserving and promoting culture in its many facets.

50 years of Brazil-China relations and the preservation of culture
The trade relationship between Brazil and China has been successful over the last few decades, with China consolidating its position as Brazil's largest trading partner since 2009. In addition to diplomatic relations, both countries benefit from partnership projects between private companies, such as the restoration of Casa Pacheco Leão, made possible by sponsorship from State Grid and Banco BOCOM BBM. During the term of the cooperation agreement, the gardens of the House will also bear the symbolism of the friendship between the countries.
Sun Tao, chairman of State Grid Brazil Holding, said:
- This is another important milestone in our contribution to the celebration of 50 years of friendship and partnership between Brazil and China. The handover of the fully restored Casa Pacheco Leão is a way of reinforcing the importance we attach to preserving the country's history and culture. We are proud to offer this experience to all visitors to the Botanical Garden - said Sun Tao, chairman of State Grid Brazil Holding.
BOCOM BBM's CEO, Alexandre Lowenkron, added:
- Our trajectory began with the joining of two financial institutions with long histories in China and Brazil, and today we are proud to support this cultural conservation and preservation project, as well as bringing the history of tea, so important to both countries, in celebration of the 50 years of relations between Brazil and China, with the delivery of a legacy to Rio de Janeiro - said Alexandre Lowenkron, CEO of BOCOM BBM.