Other than plain water, tea is the world’s favourite beverage. Researchers are now uncovering its biological secrets, opening the door to an array of potential benefits.

China is the largest producer and consumer of tea in the world and has abundant tea plant resources and tea products (including green tea, black tea, dark tea, oolong tea, white tea and yellow tea). Since the beginning of the new century, scientific research and technological innovation have led to improvements in the output, quality, safety and consumption of tea in China, which has driven the healthy and sustainable development of China’s tea industry. The team of Academician professor Zongmao Chen at the Tea Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Scie