"Nearly 3 million tons of herb tea were produced and sold in the first six months of 2006, and very probably the number will be over 3.5 million tons by the end of the year, while only 31.5 million tons of Coca Cola were produced and sold in China last year," announced Guangdong Provincial Guild of Food and Medicine recently.

Herb tea is the traditional drink in Guandong. It is believed to be able to dispel the tropical heat and humidity, thus to keep people healthy. Most of the inhabitants in Guangdong keep the habit of drinking it all their lives.

Herb tea has been produced in Guangdong since very long ago, and it is liked by Chinese all around the world. In Guangdong Province alone, there are more than 300 famous enterprises in the herb tea industry, not to mention thousands of small workshops.

With a history of hundreds of years, herb tea is more than a traditional drink, but a symbol of the traditional Chinese culture as well. Zhang Junxiu, director of Guangdong Provincial Guild of Food and Medicine said about 3 million to 4 million tons of herb tea would be produced in 2006, and very possibly it would surpass Coca Cola in China in the latter half of 2007.

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