A dramatic historical narrative of the man who stole the secret of tea from China In 1848, the British East India Company, having lost its monopoly on the tea trade, engaged Robert Fortune, a Scottish gardener, botanist, and plant hunter, to make a clandestine trip into the interior of China—territory forbidden to foreigners—to steal the closely guarded secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing. For All the Tea in China is the remarkable account of Fortune's journeys into China—a thrilling narrative that combines history, geography, botany, natural science, and old-fashioned adventure. Disguised in Mandarin robes, Fortune ventured deep into the country, confronting pirates, hostile climate, and his own untrustworthy men as he made his way to the epicenter of tea production, the remote Wu Yi Shan hills. One of the most daring acts of corporate espionage in history, Fortune's pursuit of China's ancient secret makes for a classic nineteenth-century adventure tale, one in which the fate of empires hinges on the feats of one extraordinary man.

Tea lovers will want to curl up - a pot of their favorite variety at hand - and linger over every informative page of this comprehensive account of tea's history and qualities. Chow and Kramer focus on Chinese teas and tea practices; their wonderfully detailed discussions leave no stone unturned in bringing to light all facets of tea as a plant, drink and institution. Two particularly interesting chapters center on tea's health benefits (which seem to be wide ranging and consequential) and how to make a good cup of tea (no easy task, to which any tea drinker can attest).

Tea in China explores the contours of religious and cultural transformation in traditional China from the point of view of an everyday commodity and popular beverage. The work traces the development of tea drinking from its mythical origins to the nineteenth century and examines the changes in aesthetics, ritual, science, health, and knowledge that tea brought with it. The shift in drinking habits that occurred in late medieval China cannot be understood without an appreciation of the fact that Buddhist monks were responsible for not only changing people's attitudes toward the intoxicating substance, but also the proliferation of tea drinking. Monks had enjoyed a long association with tea in South China, but it was not until Lu Yu's compilation of the Chajing (The Classic of Tea) and the spread of tea drinking by itinerant Chan monastics that tea culture became popular throughout the empire and beyond. Tea was important for maintaining long periods of meditation; it also provided inspiration for poets and profoundly affected the ways in which ideas were exchanged. Prior to the eighth century, the aristocratic drinking party had excluded monks from participating in elite culture. Over cups of tea, however, monks and literati could meet on equal footing and share in the same aesthetic values. Monks and scholars thus found common ground in the popular stimulant—one with few side effects that was easily obtainable and provided inspiration and energy for composing poetry and meditating. In addition, rituals associated with tea drinking were developed in Chan monasteries, aiding in the transformation of China's sacred landscape at the popular and elite level. Pilgrimages to monasteries that grew their own tea were essential in the spread of tea culture, and some monasteries owned vast tea plantations. By the end of the ninth century, tea was a vital component in the Chinese economy and in everyday life. Tea in China transcends the boundaries of religious studies and cultural history as it draws on a broad range of materials—poetry, histories, liturgical texts, monastic regulations—many translated or analyzed for the first time. The book will be of interest to scholars of East Asia and all those concerned with the religious dimensions of commodity culture in the premodern world.

A reference on creating jobs and wealth by doing business with China reveals key business opportunities in a variety of sectors, explaining America's competitive advantage while providing counsel on how to avoid costly mistakes within China's challenging operating environments.

The Second Edition of master tea merchant Roy Fong's classic The Great Teas of China has been thoroughly revised, rewritten, and re-edited, with significant new material added, particularly around water, teaware, and the brewing process. Fong also included more memories, anecdotes, and photographs from over 30 years of travel and learning in China's tea regions. From hand-picked white teas from Fu Ding and expertly crafted oolongs from Taiwan, to patiently aged puerh from Yunnan and everything in between, Fong offers his insights on choosing, brewing, and enjoying more than a dozen iconic Chinese tea varieties. Since 1993, Fong's Imperial Tea Court in San Francisco has been educating and inspiring tea enthusiasts, who visit from all over the world to enjoy America's finest selection of Chinese tea. The Great Teas of China is a very personal and accessible introduction to contemporary connoisseurship of Camellia sinensis, the flowering perennial at the heart of Chinese culture for thousands of years.

Witty and fun-loving Isabella Goodrich defies cultural expectations and common sense as she sets off to the Orient to become a missionary.