China was still largely alien territory for westerners in the mid-nineteenth century. In this book, first published in 1857, Robert Fortune (1813 1880) describes his third visit there, but despite his relative familiarity with the country, his account is full of strange and bizarre sights and happenings. Beginning in Shanghai, where he was sent to collect tea samples for the East India Company, he describes an earthquake and the myths of its aftermath, along with his fears of becoming embroiled in the Taiping Rebellion. A keen botanist and entomologist in his own right, he also collected...

A journey to the tea countries of China, including Sung-Lo and the Bohea Hills by Robert Fortune. This book is a reproduction of the original book published in 1900 and may have some imperfections such as marks or hand-written notes.