For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History

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 Chinaterritory forbidden to foreignersto steal the closely guarded secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing. For All the Tea in China is the remarkable account of Fortunes journeys into Chinaa 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 Fortunes pursuit of Chinas 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.