China is the world's earliest country to discover and utilize tea trees. In ancient Chinese literature, tea trees were praised as "the fine tree of the south." There were many names for tea in historical records, and the evolution and establishment of the character "茶" (tea) also indicate from one aspect that the homeland of tea is China. Tea has become the common name for people all over the world. The legend of "Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs" is recorded in ancient books such as "Records of the Grand Historian," "Huainanzi," "Derivation of the Materia Medica," and "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica." According to the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica," attributed to Shennong from the Qin and Han periods: "Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, encountered seventy-two poisons in one day, and was detoxified by obtaining tea."

Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty also stated in "The Classic of Tea": "Tea as a beverage originated from Shennong." To this day, the tea regions south of the Yangtze River still circulate stories of Shennong personally tasting various plants to relieve people's illnesses, being poisoned, and then detoxifying by eating tea. The legend of Taimu Niangniang picking tea to cure illnesses in Fuding White Tea also dates back to ancient times. This mythical legend reflects China's long history of tea drinking, and to this day, Fuding White Tea is still used medicinally in some areas.

Chinese tea culture and tea drinking customs radiated to surrounding areas of China during the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, and after the Ming and Qing dynasties, spread to Europe and America, having a significant impact. All this proves that China is the place of origin of tea and tea culture; China is the homeland of tea. According to historical records, tea was produced in Southwest China over 3,000 years ago. The "Records of Huayang" written by Chang Qu during the Jin Dynasty is the earliest record of tea production in the region, stating that "Nan'an (now Leshan, Sichuan) and Wuyang (now Pengshan, Sichuan) both produce famous tea."

The Qing Dynasty scholar Gu Yanwu verified in "Records of Daily Knowledge": "After the Qin people took Shu, tea drinking began." This shows that the earliest tea drinkers were also in Southwest China. The contemporary "Tea Sage" Wu Juenong, as early as the 1920s, scientifically demonstrated that Southwest China is the origin of the world's tea trees, refuting the erroneous claim that tea did not originate in China. The natural conditions in Southwest China are highly suitable for tea tree growth. According to recent scientific surveys, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan in China are the areas with the earliest discovery of wild tea trees and the most abundant and concentrated wild tea trees in the world today. Both literature and evidence prove that Southwest China is the origin of the world's tea trees.