Today, every office desk has its tea mug or glass. Workmates rotate
the task of bringing big thermoses of hot water from a boiler
elsewhere on the premises, and the first thing office workers do in
the morning is to make their tea. Fresh hot water is added to the
leaves of green tea throughout the day, and most particularly before
a meeting, for almost everyone takes a teacup along.
The
farmer who works in the fields in the hot south brings a gourd full
of tea from home. He hollows out a bottle gourd and allows it to dry
thoroughly. For easier carrying, he may weave a two-handled bamboo
basket around it, or he may sling it over his shoulder on a string.
In any other container the tea would become as hot as the sun in a
few hours. But the gourd keeps the tea cool and preserves its
natural flavor. Some field workers keep their gourds in a spring so
that they can have an even cooler drink.
Anyone who has traveled in China must wonder how many cups of tea he
or sea has imbibed by the time the tour ended. Local favorites are
served with every stop and at every "brief introduction" at every
factory, museum, what-have-you visited, as well as before every
meal.
On
all Chinese trains, clean, covered mugs are supplied and hot water
for tea is brought around by the conductors. You can buy a pack of
green tea for a few fen, or use what you have brought along.
