Tea is one of the world's most popular beverages after water, and the birthplace of tea is China. Until the 1830s, China was the only producer of tea, and today it remains the world's greatest producer and consumer. Tea in China is a history of China's national drink, where it came from, how it was drunk, and the place it has occupied in Chinese society from prehistory to the present. Along the way, Evans looks at the myths surrounding the development of tea. The preferences of the various dynasties are examined, as are changes within the industry as well as the place of tea within Chinese society.