In this post I've collected a number of small, truly miscellaneous items, that didn't really fit anywhere else, but which I couldn't stand not sharing with you.
Did You Know ...
... that bottled tea -- green, oolong, or red -- is as popular as carbonated drinks (or more so) in China? You can buy it sweetened or unsweetened, and chilled or room-temperature, at the ubiquitous Seven-Elevens and other convenience stores.
Did You Know ...
... that powdered green tea is gaining popularity in China? (I had to take a picture of it to show you -- I feared you might not believe me otherwise ...)
Did You Know ...
... that the word pu'er (普洱) is, in origin, actually not a Han Chinese term? Rather, as I learned from Niisonge, it comes from the Hani language, in which it means 'family home' (i.e. the sort of walled complex in which an extended family might live together).
... that 'Pu'er' is, historically, where pu'er tea was sold -- not where it was grown? My learned colleague Danny Samarkand writes:
Historical records tell us that Pu'er county was an ideal location as a collection centre for the tea leaves harvested in and around the region. The leaves were processed into tea and from there sent out to other regions and countries on horsebacks. The tea was named after the region, and came to be known as Pu'er, and the place, Pu'er Xian -- Pu'er county.
Did You Know ...
... that in the Chaozhou gongfu cha tradition, the traditional fuel for the stove that heats the water kettle is (as I learned from Will Chen and Mr Tsay of Green of T) is dried olive seeds?
Did You Know ...
... that you can actually find some very nice tea-ware (as well as plenty of tea) in the airports of Asia? The photo above was taken in the airport in Fuzhou, but I was equally impressed with the shops in the airports of Taipei and Hong Kong
(where I had a layover between Taiwan and the PRC). The tea-ware prices will certainly not be the lowest; and I think I would advise against buying the tea at any price (unless you know for a certainty that it is of good quality and not overly expensive). But it will all be packaged well, for traveling; and if nothing else, you can have fun browsing.
Did You Know ...
... that bamboo is actually classified, botanically, as a grass? The largest types are of course the largest members of the grass family. Some species can grow as fast as a meter per day.
(Bamboo is of course vital to cha dao, as it is used for making a variety of tea-ware, including a popular form of the cha pan or tea tray used in gongfu cha, as well as other tea utensils.)
Did You Know ...
... that Wu Yi Shan was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999?
