The tea house Ouxiangju in Yongjinmen has impressed Mr. Wang Xufeng, a local writer who once obtained the Maodun Literature Award, because of the couplet hanging on the wall. It is a mixture of two quotations of the great poet Su Dongpo of North Song Dynasty: If you consider the West Lake a beautiful lady, the fragrant tea is a beauty, too.

Mr. Wang remarked, “Hangzhou today is like a big tea house and the water of the West Lake is like a pond of fragrant tea.”

On the morning of Apr. 20th, organized by Hangzhou Communist Party Committee and Hangzhou municipal government, as well as eight national tea industries, the first Drinking Tea Day was held in Hangzhou. Mr. Wang Guoping, Secretary of Hangzhou Municipal Committee of CPC, announced the start of the event. Leaders and experts like Mr. Liu Feng, Director of China Tea Culture Research Committee also attended the meeting.

There is a special reason to set Apr. 20th as Drinking Tea Day. Apr. 20th is the Grain Rain this year according to the Chinese lunar calendar, and the Grain Rain indicates the start of peak season of picking up green tea.

Mr. Yang Yajun, Director of China Tea Academy, commented, “Tea culture has a very long history in China. It is because Hangzhou has a history of 8,000 years with many national tea industries as well as the popular Longjing Tea to choose the city to hold the Drinking Tea Day. On the other hand, we also wish to further develop Chinese tea culture, to promote healthy way of drinking tea and to make tea our national drink.”

The Drinking Tea Day will be on the Grain Rain day according to the Chinese lunar calendar from now on.

The organizers also provided free tea and tea cups in over 100 venues including schools, residence blocks, office buildings and scenic spots on Apr. 20th.

"Drinking tea is a common and elegant thing. If you are interested in tea culture, you will learn a lot.” said Mr. Yang Yajun. Here are answers to some most frequently asked questions regarding drinking tea from the experts:

Q: Can drinking tea make drunken person become sober?

A: Yes, tea can help produce more urine and help get rid of the alcohol from your body. However, if you have weak heart and kidney, it's not a good way to get yourself sober as tea can make you too excited. You are advised not to drink strong tea either.

Q: Can tea make you feel drunk?

A: Yes, especially when you are hungry because the blood sugar is low. Tea will lower the blood sugar level and make you feel dizzy, nausea, weak and shaky.

Q: Will drinking tea make your teeth yellow?

A: If you drink very strong tea for a long time and never brush your teeth, then it is true that your teeth will become yellow especially when you smoke at the same time. However, if you don't smoke and brush your teeth at least twice a day, it won't be a problem.

Q: Is it bad to drink tea right after meals?

A: Tea leaves contain a big amount of tannin, which will react with the ferrous elements in the food. The correct way is to drink tea one hour after meals.