Tea, one 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 the Chinese drank tea as early as five to six thousand years ago, and that human cultivation of tea-plants dates back two thousand years.

Tea, along with silk and porcelain, were introduced abroad via the Silk Road. The varied pronunciations for tea in the world’s major languages are based on the Chinese pronunciation. There are various kinds of tea in China, which may be classified into five different categories according to their different processing methods and different places of production.

1) Green tea
Green tea retains its original tender green color because no ferment is used during its processing. Longjing tea from Zhejiang Province (especially the Shifeng Longjing of West Lake from Hangzhou), Maofeng tea from Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, and Biluochun tea from Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province are extremely well-known.

2) Black tea
Black tea, known as "red tea" in China, is fermented before "baking." The best brands of black tea are Qihong of Anhui, Dianhong of Yunnan, Suhong of Jiangsu, Chuanhong of Sichuan, Minhong of Fujian, and Huhong of Hunan.

3) WOolong tea
This is a kind of tea between green tea and black tea, which has gone through only half of the fermenting process. It comes from the coastal provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan in southeast China. Famous brands include Tieguanyin from the south of Fujian Province and Dongding oolong tea from Taiwan Province.

4) Compressed tea
This kind of tea is compressed and hardened to be made into brick, cake and bowl shapes. Because it is convenient for transport and storage, it is popular with ethnic minorities in the southwest border areas of the country. Compressed tea is mainly produced in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, among which Tuo tea from Yunnan is the most famous.

5) Scented tea
Scented tea is made by mixing fragrant flowers, such as jasmine, with tea leaves in the course of processing. Famous jasmine tea, mainly produced in Fujian and Hunan provinces, is a favorite of northerners in China and of a growing number of foreigners in recent years.

Alcoholic drinks
China is one of the first countries to brew alcohol drinks. A large number of 4,00()-year- old pottery wine vessels have been excavated in Dawenkou of Shandong Province. From an ancient tomb of the Warring States Period in Pingshan County, Hebei Province, two jars containing spirits with a history of 2,300 years have been brought to light.

The Chinese like to drink white spirits, yellow rice wine, grape wine, traditional Chinese medicinal liquor and beer. The famous brands are as follows:

1) White spirits
Maotaijiu ( Guizhou) Luzhou Tequ (Sichuan)
Fenjiu ( Shanxi) Jiannanchun (Sichuan)
Gujing Gongjiu (Anhui) Yanghe Daqu (Jiangsu) r
Wuliangye (Sichuan) Jiuguijiu (Hunan)
Most of these spirits are classified into two groups according to their alcohol content, either over 50% or under 40%.

2) Yellow rice wine
Made from glutinous rice through a special process, yellow rice wine has an alcohol content of 15% to 20% and is so called because it is amber in color. Traditionally, yellow rice wine shoud be heated before it is served. It is also an important seasoning in Chinese kitchens. The best yellow rice wine is Laojiu made in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. Famous brands include Huadiao, Jiafanjiu and Nuerhong.

3) Grape wine
China Red Wine (Beijing)
Yantai Red Wine (Shandong)
Great Wall White Wine (Hebei)
Minquan White Wine (Henan)
Dynasty Dry White Wine (Tianjin)
Dynasty Dry Red Wine (Tianjin)
Zhangyu Dry Red Wine (Shandong) (Illustration )

4) Chinese medicinal liquor
The Chinese like to soak certain kinds of traditional Chinese medicine in alcohol, believing that it keeps people strong and healthy.
Famous medicinal liquors are Zhuyeqing Spirits from Shanxi Province, Ginseng Spirits from Jilin Province and Wujiabai Spirits from Heilongjiang Province.

5) Beer
Beer was introduced to China in modern times, and has become a very popular drink now, especially among young people. The most famous brand is Tsingtao Beer of Shandong Province. Other popular brands are Yanjing Beer of Beijing, Zhujiang Beer of Guangzhou and Jinwei Beer of Shenzhen
This article from：http://www.glchinese.com