The full aroma and sweetness of the tea can be brought out when using a small teapot to steep tea. Any pieces made by a master potter are sought after everywhere, and are worth their weight in gold. While master potters in the Republic of China continue to produce traditional purple clay ceramic teapots, they have also developed a number of creative new teapot designs which have received enthusiastic public response. Collecting teapots has become a fashionable pastime. Tea is China' s national drink.
Tea contains vitamins, tea derivatives, essential oils, and fluoride.
It is a diuretic, attributed with the properties of improving the eyesight and increasing alertness, so Chinese believe that frequent tea drinkers enjoy an increased life span. Its medical properties and benefits to the human body have in fact been scientifically proven, and tea has come to be generally recognized as a natural health food. Tea is a cash crop in Taiwan, an agricultural product that is a source of foreign exchange earnings. Specialized tea shops all over the island continue to actively promote the art of tea drinking. Each local area also holds its own tea-tasting competitions, attracting the participation of large numbers of tea farmers, tea merchants, and tea connoisseurs.