Asia has long tradition of tea- drinking. And China is no exception. However, lately more and more Chinese people are turning to a different drink. Coffee has become an increasingly popular choice of Chinese people living abroad and in the country's huge cities. It is also a popular crop among those living in the mountains of southern Yunnan Province. In big cities such as Beijing, coffee shops seem to be on nearly every major street corner. These shops are not just selling drinks from Starbucks, the world-famous coffee company. Coffee businesses from South Korea, Taiwan, HongKong and Britain are also operating in China. Tea-drinking is steeped in the culture and traditions of many countries, like China and Japan. But is that changing? Are young people from Asia now choosing a cup of coffee instead of tea? BeiBei Su is from China. She has been living in the United States for the past eight years. Before that, she lived in Italy for two years. Ms. Su says she likes tea better than coffee. But she adds that may not be true among the young generation in China. Many young Chinese people drink coffee socially --when meeting with friends. Yang Lin lives in the U.S. but comes from an area in China famous for growing tea. She used to only drink tea while in China. But now, she says, she drinks both and for different reasons. Yang Lin says that drinking coffee for her is a social event. She and her co-workers like to sit in a cafe and talk over a cup of coffee. Voyo is another Chinese woman who now lives in Washington, D.C. She says that after moving to the U.S. Her tastes changed. We would call her a coffee _ , someone who now chooses to drink coffee. With more people drinking coffee, many see an economic opportunity for Chinese -grown beans. China-grown coffee could be a money- maker even if most of the coffee on sale in China is imported. Why does YangLin drink coffee?
Because she lives in the U.S. Now. Because she can talk with friends. Because she has drunk tea so long. Because her tastes has changed.