China was the country where tea was first grown and processed. Thus, tea-planting techniques and the worldwide custom of drinking tea all originated in China. Since 1984, privatisation has been progressively introduced into the Chinese tea industry and output has subsequently increased rapidly. In 1980, annual tea production amounted to only 303,700 tonnes, but had increased to 525,000 tonnes by 1990, 682,000 tonnes by 2000 and 799,000 tonnes in 2004. In addition to the absolute growth in volume, the number of varieties has continued to increase and the quality has constantly improved. With entry into the new era of private equity involvement, China looks to have a vast potential for developing both production and consumption.
展开▼
