The sixth China International Tea Expo opened in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang province, on Thursday.

More than 1,500 business people from more than 30 leading tea markets around China as well as purchasers from 13 countries and regions worldwide have flocked to the Expo, which is sited at the Zhejiang World Trade Center. The exhibition hall for the tea Expo occupies an area of 5,500 square meters with 180 booths.

At the Expo, tea purchasers and tea sellers can freely exchange views and promote cooperation on tea production technologies and tea trade. A variety of China's brand-name teas, tea sets and tea packages is put on display.

China is one of the world's earliest and most famed tea producers with its close to 300 varieties; tea planting dates back over 3,000 years while its tea drinking history is even longer.

To date, China's tea production volume makes up 23 percent of the world's total.

(Zhejiang Online October 31, 2003)