There are more universities here, I'm told, than any other Chinese city. Professor and Head of the Department of Forestry Li Minghe, Bao Manzhu, Professor of Ornamental Horticulture and Deputy Director of the Department of Forestry, along with a drive picked us up in a new Hundai van. John Tarver was under the weather and remained at the hotel. Posters had been placed around the campus announcing the seminars the day before. We were each applauded upon entry into the room and were directed to take a seat in the first row decked out with a soft blue table clothe and set with tea cups for our refreshment.
Hot tea is a constant here in China.
Every hotel room, from the lowliest to the best all have thermos bottles full of hot water so that guests may have tea available whenever they like. Tea probably became popular because the water is not safe to drink without treatment. The government has even set standards for the vacuum bottles. The most popular being one that appears to be at least two liters. Anyway the standard is that a temperature must be maintained for a certain period of time, that standard being the temperature can not go below 80 degrees centigrade in a six hour period.