Cultural tips

The Chinese people often use the phrase "tea and coffee" to describe the differences between Chinese and western culture. For thousands of years, tea has been the definitive Chinese drink. It originated in China about 5,000 years ago. Tea, obviously, stands for the East and coffee represents the West.
The temperature in southern and eastern parts of China is most suitable for tea-growing. In the past, tea was exported to Asian and European countries through the ancient Silk Road. Nowadays, teas around the world are often called by names similar to the Chinese word for tea, "cha."
Compared to notable coffee-producing countries, coffee production in China is insignificant. The first coffee factory opened in Shanghai in 1935, but it was not until the mid-1980s that the Chinese developed a taste for instant coffee packed in small bags.