CNN on Friday profiled "18 drinks Chinese people cannot live without", introducing many Americans to Chinese standards like bubble tea, Tsingtao beer and soybean milk.
As the article stressed, baijiu, the fiery Chinese liquor drunk all over the country, may not be an ideal choice as a refreshing drink in summer, but there are plenty of other options. CNN's top five drinks are as follows:
Wusu beer, also known as Xinjiang black beer as it is a regional beer in Xinjiang that tastes strong but comes with a natural brown-sugar-like sweetness. It was selected as it can go with any Xinjiang dish.
Green tea and whisky is favored by Chinese night owls when they go to karaoke. This cross-cultural drink, a mixture of Scotch whisky and sugary bottled green tea has a smooth taste and can be found in many night clubs.
Bubble tea or pearl milk tea, originally produced in Taiwan, is one of the most popular soft drinks among Chinese youngsters. The soft texture and chewy "pearls", made of tapioca, brought about its name. The ingredient of tea leaves a bitter aftertaste. Bubble tea is now world-famous, especially in the US and Europe.
C100, a Chinese version of electrolyte-enhanced water, is rich in vitamins with tastes like lemon and grapefruit. It can be found almost everywhere in China.
Guanyin tea, the quality version of oolong, is a hot drink with a floral smell and honey-like aftertaste. Produced in Anxi, Fujian Province, it is now a popular drink that can be found everywhere in China.
Salt soda water, Jiuniang – a type of sweet rice wine, soybean milk, chrysanthemum tea and Tsingtao beer ranked from six to 10.
The remaining eight are listed as coconut milk, rock salt cheese cocoa, sour plum drink, Yunnan coffee, osmanthus wine, Wahaha Nutri-Express – a yogurt-like soft drink, cooling tea and kavas.
CNN seems to have drawn a conclusion that Chinese people love drinking sweet beverages and show a special preference for those drinks with a bit of a sour taste.
Chinese opinions on CNN's recommendations showed a polarization. One netizen claimed that he had not even heard of Wusu beer, while another said tea is the best Chinese drink.
