Another example is the Japanese chanoyu codified by Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591). At the root, the way the water is boiled is the same as during Tang dynasty (618-907) and the way the green tea powder is whisked is the same as during the Song dynasty (960-1279). What's remarkable is that Rikyu's way of tea making has been taught for so many generations since then (by several schools). It's a good example of preservation and transmission of tea culture, but it must also be noted that this tea culture was long reserved to Japan's nobility.
China didn't lack great tea and tea ware masters during its history. What China lacked were masters willing to share their insights of tea in teachings and books. This is what makes Lu Yu (733-804) stand out. He was the first to write a whole book on the sole subject of tea. And even if the way we practice tea has considerably evolved since then, the issues he raised about the harvesting of the leaves, the quality of the water, how it's boiled, the wares we use... are still the same today.