Porcelain and Glass

I read somewhere - and of course I forget where - that, possibly due to the tea craze in ancient China, the Chinese only used porcelain vessels for drinking, eating, etc., and never got around to inventing glass (as all red-blooded alcohol-drinking civilizations have done...perhaps to show off the deep, rich tones of their Merlots).  Anyway.  Without glass, this society - normally so trend-setting when it came to printing presses, compasses, gunpowder, and all other things technological - was stuck using waxed paper in place of windowpanes, lamps, and other things that are better off (a) transparent and (b) non-flammable.

Very interesting.

I'm not sure if it's strictly true or just one of those good historical stories, but I think the lesson to be learned is that we shouldn't be so attached to one way of doing things that we close ourselves off from other ideas.