During the Western Han (206 BC-24 AD) Dynasty the leaves of the wild plant indigenous to Szechwan Province were used as a beverage, but at that time only the nobility indulged.
根據實際的文獻記載，中國人喝茶始於西漢，那時叫做「荼」，是四川西部的一種野生植物，不是一般飲料，而是一種高級藥材，只有在宮廷中才喝得到。