The Biluochun Tea (Green Tea). Photo: Deborah Howard

I wander from one tea shop to another, sitting in each, comparing teas. First, I start out with ones that I can afford – those selling for around 50 yuan ($7.32) per jin (500 grams). They taste nice, usually light and lively. But each new round of tea seems better and pretty soon the price tag reaches up to 250 yuan ($36.60) per 500 grams. Oh dear, how many bowls of noodles will I need to eat this week to afford that one?

The tea boss brings more teas out, and now we are hitting the stratosphere! These ones are delicious, teas to die for, teas to dream about. And they are also teas that are worth my entire month's salary! I wonder if my daughters really need to inherit any money from their mother. Probably not, I tell myself. I want that tea! After I make my purchase, I drift past other tea shops where nimble-fingered girls sort tea leaves and stalks. I stop to chat with them and they show me the stalks which can be used to replace your earrings at night. These stalks have an antiseptic quality and prevent infections. Like everything else edible or drinkable in China, tea in all of its forms is good for you. Pu'er is good in winter, green tea in summer, one tea helps you lose weight, while another helps you regain your appetite.

The tea pots. Photo: Deborah Howard

I wander into the teapot shops and look longingly at the elegantly-designed pots and cups. There are tea sets, single pots, pots in pairs, Yixing pottery cups, fine china cups, with hand painted designs – so many beautiful ones. Do I need another teapot in my collection of 17? Not really, but it's so beautiful! Perhaps I can buy a lovely cup instead.

I already have two tea serving trays, but just in case there is something I haven't seen, I decide to have a quick look at the tea table shop. The huge, carved marble and wooden tables are well out of my price range, and thankfully, my apartment is too small for it. But my eye catches sight of some of the decorative sculptures that bring good luck. So I choose one for my birth year, a very fierce-looking snake that changes color when hot water is poured over it.

It is time to head home, before I can do any more damage to my wallet. But I have enjoyed a day learning more about tea, surrounded by the wonderful aroma, the beautiful taste of all the tea in China.

Yiwu Tea Market 西安市金康路茶文化一條街

Address: 西起金花北路，東止康樂(lè)路

Start from Jinhua Bei Lu in the west and end in Kang Le Lu in the east

Tel: 029 82163789