The Chinese people like to drink tea,and often entertain friends and guests with it. The tealeaf is a necessity in the life of the Chinese people.
China is the homeland of tea. The ancient Chinese first used it for medicinal purposes before developing tea as a drink. As regards the method of making tea, the Chinese variety can be classifited into green tea,black tea,oolong tea, scented tea,tuo tea( bowl-shaped compressed mass of tea leaves),and brick tea,each consisting of many types.
Green tea is not fermented. Famous green tea includes the Longjing tea from the region of the West Lake in Hangzhou,the biluochun tea from Jiangsu,the Maofeng tea from Huangshan Mountain of Anhui province
Blac tea is fermented,and is brilliant red. Famous Chinese black ta is the keenmun tea of Anhui Province,and the Dian black tea(Yunnan province)
Oolong tea is half fermented,its leaves being loose and thick,and the tea is golden yellow. The best oolong tea is produced in Wuyi Mountain of Fujian province
Tuo tea, produced in Yuannan and Sichuan Provinces,is compressed like a round steamed bun
Brick tea is shaped like a brick,and is a favorite of the Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups
Advantages of tea-drinking
Tea has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial. C tountless numbers of people like to have their aftermeal cup of tea.
In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the heat and bring an instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. For this reason, tea-houses abound in towns ad market villages in South China and provide elderly retirees with the locals to meet and chat over a cup of tea.
Medically,the tea leaf contains a number of chemicals, of which 20-30% is tanic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It is also contains an alkaloid,a stimulant for the nerve centre and the process of metabolism. Tea with the aromatics in it may help resolve meat and fat and thus promote digestion. It is, therefore, of special importance to people who live mainly on meat, like many of the ethnic minorities in China.
Tea is also rich in various vitamins and, for smokers, it helps to discharge nicotine out of the system. After wine,strong tea may help a lot
It does not go to say that the stronger the tea,the more advantages it will yield.Constant drinking of over-strong tea may induce heart and blood-pressure disorders in some people,reduce the milk of a breast-feeding moter,and put a brown color on the teeth .So don’t make your tea too strong.
