The world's finest green teas are produced from the small leaf China tea plant Camellia sinensis, variety sinensis. Young tender budding leaves are traditionally hand-plucked and quickly processed without fermentation to produce a wonderfully fresh tasting tea. Countries that are renowned for their fine green teas include China, Japan and Taiwan.

In China the formal presentation of tea is known as "gongfu" which, like the gaiwan method of tea preparation, dates from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The term "gongfu" denotes skill from practice-the idea being that expertise is derived not so much from learning as from experience, that is:..

Prior to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) tea was usually prepared in and drunk from the same vessel, as described by ninth century tea master Lu Yu in the Cha Ching (Tea Scripture).  This special bowl had to be large enough to accommodate the implements and actions of tea brewing, yet small enough to be held comfortably..

An infinite array of styles and designs were fashioned by early potters, such as the famous Gong Chun, from clay deposits located near the town of Yixing (pronounced yeeshing). Over the centuries, the potters, the clay deposits, the town and the pots have become inseparable, all sharing the celebrated name Yixing.

China, the "Middle Kingdom" and "Homeland of Tea" is a country of great antiquity and vast size where the people of many different ethnic backgrounds and national traditions have come together to create a culture of lasting grandeur and significance - from the courts of the Imperial dynasties to the founding of a modern socialist republic.