A Tibetan grandma is drinking tea. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

The tea-drinking culture of the Tibetan ethnic group is said to have a history of more than two thousand years but a recorded history of over one thousand years.

Tibetans began to drink tea during the ruling period of Dusong Mangpoje (AD 676-704), a king of Tubo Kingdom (an ancient kingdom of Tibet), according to the book titled "History from the Han and Tibetan Sources".

Tea is quite popular among Tibetans, because its rich tea polyphenols can help digest high-protein food, such as meat and milk in their traditional diet. In addition, it can supplement the vitamin in the place of vegetables, which are scare on the Tibetan Plateau.