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Have a mug of hope
在一杯杯香茗中品味各國文化
English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero said, "Where there's tea, there's hope." Similarly, a Chinese saying goes that "Firewood, rice, cooking oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day."
英國劇作家阿瑟·溫·皮內羅曾說：“有茶就有希望。”同樣，中國也有句俗語：“早晨起來七件事，柴米油鹽醬醋茶。”
Tea is, without doubt, welcomed all over the world. According to Statista, a German online portal for statistics, global tea production reached approximately 5.8 million tons in 2018. It has become the most consumed beverage in the world – after water, of course.
毫無疑問，茶受到了全世界的歡迎。據德國數據分析網站Statista顯示，2018年全球茶葉產量約為580萬噸。茶成為世界上飲用人數最多的飲品 —— 當然，除了水以外。
In order to celebrate the popular drink, the United Nations General Assembly has designatedMay 21as International Tea Day.
為夸贊這一大眾飲品，聯合國大會將5月21日定為國際茶日。
According to the UN, tea is much more than just a hot drink. It's a big part of many cultures around the world.
聯合國認為，茶不僅僅是一杯熱飲。它是全球眾多文化的重要組成部分。
You probably know that people in China use top-grade tea to show respect when receiving important guests. Meanwhile, the British tradition of afternoon tea is an important part of that country's identity. Making Malaysia's pulled tea has become a sort of art form, where drinkers take pride in its entertainment aspects. As an expression of Moroccan hospitality and tradition, mint tea – a mix of green tea, spearmint leaves and sugar – is served during gatherings and negotiations.
你或許知道，中國人會用頂級茶葉招待貴客，以示敬意。與此同時，英國的下午茶傳統也是該國身份認同的重要一環。馬來西亞的拉茶制作已經成為了一種藝術形式，品茶者以茶帶來的樂趣為傲。薄荷茶則體現了摩洛哥人熱情好客與傳統，在聚會和會談中，他們會用這種以綠茶、綠薄荷葉和糖泡成的茶湯款待客人。
Apart from its cultural significance, tea is also a medicine, used from ancient times to modern day. "Tea is cold and lowers the fire," Chinese Ming Dynasty herbalist Li Shizhen once said. The health benefits of tea are still being discovered today: preventing heart disease, obesity and cancer have all been linked to drinking green tea, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the US. The mania for healthy tea products continues into a new decade as it's used in moisturizers, lip balms and other beauty products.
除了文化意義以外，茶從古至今都被用作一種藥材。“茶性寒，能降火，”明代草藥學家李時珍曾如此說道。茶的保健功效如今仍在不斷地被發現：美國國家生物技術信息中心認為，喝綠茶能夠預防心臟病、肥胖和癌癥。人們對于健康茶產品的熱衷持續到了下一個十年，潤膚霜、潤唇膏以及其他美妝產品中也都添加了茶成分。
Hot or cold, bagged or loose-leaf, tea is more than a drink – it's a social custom and also a magic medicine, a link to the past and a way of life.
不論熱飲冷飲，袋裝散裝，茶都不僅僅是一種飲品 —— 它是一種社會習俗、一種靈藥、一種與過去的紐帶，一種生活方式。
