Tea is a fundamental part of Chinese life. It is identified, at least in one old Chinese saying, as one of the seven basic necessities in life, the other six being soy sauce, vinegar, salt, rice, fuel and oil. The role of tea in Chinese culture is so important that some authors have even questioned the validity of Marco Polo’s claims that he set foot on China based on one main thing — he never mentioned tea. Of course, he didn’t mention many other things, either.
Tea is a beverage prepared from the leaves of a the southern …read more