All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in tea houses. They prefer their tea plain with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony（仪式). It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a. special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is "teatime". Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea—"iced tea". Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.

    Manufacturing（制造业） is an important industry in the United States. However, for many years, Americans have expressed fear that the industry is in danger.

    Matthew Burnett knows this all too well. The American businessman started a watch company in 2007. At first, he had overseas（海外的） manufacturers make all his products. As a result, Burnett often faced shipping delays（延误）, a lack（缺乏） of quality control, and time zone problems. Later, he developed into leather goods. Still, he tried to find factories in the country to make the wallets, belts, and other products of his new brand. And he was not alone. Many American businessmen found it easier to go out of the country for manufacturing. There was no central marketplace for the industry.

    So, Matthew Burnett, and his business partner Tanya Menendez, created one. They called it Maker's Row. Since 2012, the online marketplace has been connecting businessmen with American manufacturers.

    Matthew Burnett explains. "What we try to do at Maker's Row is to encourage the brands to start producing in the United States so that you see more made in America products on the shelves. We used to produce 97 percent of the goods that we consume here in the United States, today it's less than three percent. So it makes it very challenging to find sometimes made in America products, but that's the situation we're trying to change, by bringing these brands back home to produce."

    Maker's Row helps brands and businesses find and organize their supply chains（供应链）in the country. Besides, Maker's Row can be especially helpful to new or part-time entrepreneurs（企业家）. The site, Makersrow.com, can provide a plan for turning an idea into a business. And co-founder Tanya Menendez says Maker's Row offers classes and training. "We have an online course. They're designed for people with busy lifestyles or those who may start off working 9-to-5." Today, the Maker's Row website has 80,000 registered users.

    The BCG company in Boston advises businesses around the world. It estimates（估计） the average cost to manufacture goods in the U.S. is only five-percent higher than in China. And the company predicts（预计） that by 2018 the cost difference will narrow further, to as little as two percent higher. Maker's Row and other similar efforts could play a big part in making that prediction come true.

    Only a few days ago, the first China Huafu Day was held to encourage young Chinese people to wear and take pride in(以..为傲) hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group(汉族)

    The organizers said, "Traditional culture is the lifeblood of China. We hope young Chinese people can wear our traditional clothing during festivals to show China's unusual culture to the world. This will also make them understand the culture better and feel proud(自豪的) of being a Chinese." The event invited people to post their pictures in traditional clothes. By April 22nd 2018. it had already got over 155 million page views, with thousands of people sharing their pictures.

    Historically, hanfu has influenced (影响) many of the neighboring cultural clothing including the Japanese Kimono and Korean Hanbok. However, hanfu started to fade (衰弱) when Manchu people took control of China. Luckily, there has been a rise in popularity (普及) over recent years. According to Hanfu Information (HI), a hanfu promotion (宣传) group, over 21,000 sets of hanfu were sold online earlier this year. Another online survey by HI in 2017 showed that over 88% of people believe that wearing hanfu is a good way to learn about Chinese culture. It's true that the number of hanfu fans is growing.

    The organizers say they will make China Huafu Day a yearly event and they have set the third day of the third month of the traditional Chinese calendar as the date of the event?

    Zheng He was an amazing man. He was born in 1371. Ten years later, he was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they became close friends. In 1403 Zhu Di became the king of China and he asked Zheng He to join his government.

    The king wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He ordered many new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader. Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led some sea trips to different parts of the world. He certainly travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think his ships have even reached South America and Australia.

    Each trip lasted more than one year and it is believed he sailed more than 50,000 kilometres during the years of his travels. Zheng He led a fleet with about 28, 000 men and over 250 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers horses.

    On these trips he took many Chinese goods like silk and medicine with him to give to foreign kings or to sell for local goods. He returned from each trip with boats which were filled with expensive things such as gold and treasures, foreign guests and strange animals like a giraffe.

    It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He's travels. The Columbus of the East, Zheng He, died in 1433. After that. The new king had these trips stopped and he burned almost all the books about Zheng He's travels, because he believed the trips were unlucky and too expensive. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study the adventures of great Zheng He.

    Table manners are how to behave when you eat a meal. They include how to handle knives, forks and spoons and how to eat in polite manners. To behave well abroad, you are to know some table manners.

    Eating manners

    Japan: It is "perfectly" okay to slurp when you eat noodles. Unlike making big noises, slurping slightly is not rude. Japanese also say it tastes better if you slurp.

    Russia: Your wrists should be placed on the edge of the table while eating, a fork in the left hand, and a knife in the right hand. It is not good manners to rest them on your lap. Keep your elbows of the table. Leave some food on your plate to show that the host has given you enough to eat.

    France: Never discuss money or religion over dinner. What is different from the manners in Russia is that finishing everything on your plate is considered good manners.

    Mexico: Whenever you catch the eye of someone who's eating, even a stranger, its good manners to say "provecho" which means enjoy. In Mexico, dining is more than a meal. It's a social occasion-lunches are seldom quick and suppers can last for hours. Where you sit matters in the country. Before you get seated, look for place cards, or wait until the host seats you. And you must say"enjoy your meal"before you leave the table.

    Drinking manners

    America: If you empty a bottle into someone's glass, it obliges that person to buy the next bottle. It's polite to put the last drops into your own glass.

    Australia: In a pub it's usual to buy a round of drinks for everyone in your group. When it's your turn, say "It's my round. "When it's their round, they will buy it for you. Don't leave before you' ve bought a round.

    Japan: Don't fill your own glass of alcohol. Instead, you should pour for others and wait for them to do it for you.