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China, the Homeland of Tea
Of the three major beverages of the world-- tea, coffee
and cocoa-- tea is consumed by the largest number of
people.
China is the homeland of tea. It is believed that China
has tea-shrubs as early as five to six thousand years
ago, and human cultivation of teaplants dates back two
thousand years. Tea from China, along with her silk and
porcelain, began to be known the world over more than a
thousand years ago and has since always been an
important Chinese export. At present more than forty
countries in the world grow tea with Asian countries
producing 90% of the world's total output. All tea trees
in other countries have their origin directly or
indirectly in China. The word for tea leaves or tea as a
drink in many countries are derivatives from the Chinese
character "cha." The Russians call it "cha'i",
which sounds like "chaye" (tea leaves) as it is
pronounced in northern China, and the English word "tea"
sounds similar to the pronunciation of its counterpart
in Xiamen (Amoy). The Japanese character for tea is
written exactly the same as it is in Chinese, though
pronounced with a slight difference. The habit of tea
drinking spread to Japan in the 6th century, but it was
not introduced to Europe and America till the 17th and
18th centuries. Now the number of tea drinkers in the
world is legion and is still on the increase.
Chinese tea
history
Green tea
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