Chinese Tea

Wherever Chinese go，the custom of drinking tea follows.Tea was first discovered by the Chinese.Tea is an indispensable part of the life of a Chinese.A Chinese saying identifies the seven basic daily necessities as fuel，rice，oil，salt，soy sauce，vinegar，and tea.The custom of drinking tea has been ingrained in the Chinese for over a thousand years.During the mid Tang Dynasty（618-907 A.D.），a man named Lu Yu created the first compendium in the world on tea，the Tea Classic.This work helped to popular-ize the art of tea drinking all across China.Tea is made from the young，tender leaves of the tea tree.

The differences among the many kinds of tea available are based mainly on the roasting and fermentation of the tea leaves.Through fermentation，the originally deep green leaves become reddish-brown in color.The longer the fermentation，the darker the color.Depending on the length of the roasting and degree of fermentation，the fragrance can range from floral to fruity to malty.

Tea drinking aficionados usually enjoy the beauty and feel of teapots.

Small teapots are used to steep tea（in the”kung fu”steeping method）.

This particular method has been passed down to the present day from 16th century China，so it boasts a 400-year history.The full aroma and sweetness of the tea can be brought out when using a small teapot to steep tea.

Tea is China’s national drink.It contains vitamins，tea derivatives，essential oils，and fluoride.It is a diuretic aftributed with the properties of improving the eyesight and increasing alertness，so Chinese believe that fre-quent tea drinkers enjoy an increased life span.Its medical properties and benefits to the human body have actually been scientifically proven，and tea has come to be generally recognized as a natural health food.

hancheng

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