English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero said,"Where there's tea, there's hope." Similarly, a Chinese saying goesthat "Firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are theseven necessities to begin a day."

    Tea is, without doubt, welcomed all overthe world. According to Statista, a German website for statistics (数据), global tea production reached about 5.8million tons in 2018. It has become the most consumed beverage (饮品) in the world – after water, of course.

    According to the UN, tea is much more thanjust a hot drink. It's a big part of many cultures around the world. Youprobably know that people in China use top-grade tea to show respect whenreceiving important guests. Meanwhile, the British tradition of afternoon teais an important part of that country's identity. Making Malaysia's pulled teahas become a sort of art form, where drinkers take pride in its entertainmentaspects.

    Apart from its cultural significance (意义), tea is also a medicine, used from ancienttimes to modern day. "Tea is cold and lowers the fire," Chinese MingDynasty herbalist Li Shizhen once said. The health benefits of tea are stillbeing discovered today: preventing heart disease, obesity and cancer have allbeen linked to drinking green tea, according to the National Center forBiotechnology Information in the US.

    Hot or cold, bagged or loose-leaf,teais more than a drink– it's a social custom and also a magic medicine, alink to the past and a way of life.