Getting a cool drink seems like a perfect way to relax after a long day's work, and a hot summer, but for most Chinese the opposite is true. They routinely drink hot drinks with meals, regardless of the weather.
While the Western world may find this strange, the Chinese find drinking cold water is also a strange thing. Drinking anything at room temperature or below is bad for health. "When you drink cold water, you will be subjected to a lot of criticism, from parents, sisters, cousins, and grandparents at one time, when they say cold water will catch you with convulsions," Nicole Liu told The Los Angeles Times.
Hot water may be fairly useful, but the strong Chinese belief about the healing properties of this water is the result of camouflaged messages. According to Liu, the habit of drinking hot water dates back to 1949, when the tap water was not good, so it encouraged the government to boil the water as a means of eliminating the bacteria in it.
In addition to the teachings of Chinese medicine that can not be ignored, which play an important role in the country's passion for hot drinks. Long thought that warm water in the morning helps digestion, improve blood circulation, helps detoxification, relieve muscle soreness. Cold water was thought to cause muscle cramps, slowing down organic functions.
There is a principle that when hot food is served with cold water, it causes an imbalance in body temperature. In fact most Chinese restaurants offer the option of hot soft drinks or those that are at room temperature, rather than cold drinks.
Some believe that the habit of drinking hot water is derived from the ancient tea culture of the country. But this habit is not the same when looking at China's neighbors such as Korea and Japan, who also have a tea tradition for a long time, but are not restricted to drinking hot water.
It seems that this habit will continue for generations to come in China because of the way the Chinese hold it. Hot water is provided in the country's legislative sessions, and it is also presented to senior officials in the conference hall.
Source:
http://www.odditycentral.com/foods/drinking-plain-hot-water-the-chinese-way-to-a-perfect-health.html