Name: For All the Tea in China
Rating: 3.333333333333333 (3 reviews)
ISBN: 9780091797065

Sarah Rose

In the aftermath of the Opium Wars, Scotsman Robert Fortune, botanist-turned-secret agent, infiltrated China's hostile mountain regions disguised as a Chinese merchant with little to guide him but his wits and a suspect crew.

Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink

For All the Tea in China

Rohit Arondekar

Since my school time, I've been fascinated by European history especially colonialism and its effects. While reading Sapiens by Yuval Harari I came across how strong an influence companies & corporations had in occupying foreign territories and trade. I later came across this book and quickly jumped at thought of finding out how a beverage we take for granted was stolen from China.

The book starts off well and I loved how it's written. Melding history with personal anecdotes and writings of the main protagonist. Most history books are dry and difficult to read. I much prefer these type of microhistory books that narrate the events like a story obviously at some cost to accuracy. There is a lot of promise for adventure and danger but it never materializes. I can't blame the author as it's based on real events. The second half of the book can get a little boring but I easily managed to read it because I was already interested in this time period and it's events. There are also asides into other events such as the creation of rifles and development of tea clippers that I found very interesting.

I'd recommend this book to almost anyone especially if you drink tea. It's a small read, the writing is easy and the story, while not fantastic, manages to keep you interested.

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.

How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History

Amanda Gilson

An account of mid-19th-century botanist Robert Fortune's mission to travel to China's remote Wu Yi Shan hills to steal closely guarded secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing describes his encounters with pirates, threatening weather and unethical people. A first book.

For All the Tea in China Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink

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