中国是茶的故乡。据说早在五六千年前，中国就有了茶树(tea- shrub),而且有关茶树的人类文明可以追溯到两千年前。来自中国的茶和丝绸、瓷器(porcelain)—样，在1000年前为世界所知，而且一直是中国重要的出口产品。目前世界上40多个国家种植茶，其中亚洲国家的产量占世界总产量的90%。其他国家的茶树都直接或间接地起源于中国。

　　China is the homeland of tea. It is believed that China has tea- shrubs as early as five to six thousand years ago，and human cultivation of tea plants can date back to two thousand years ago. Tea from China，along with her silk and porcelain, began to be known to the world more than a thousand years ago and has since always been an important Chinese export. At present more than forty countries in the world grow tea with Asian countries producing 90% of the world’s total output. All tea trees in other countries have their origin directly or indirectly in China.