— 210 — 



case it is actually impossible to décide witii certainty, whether a tea plant, 

 found somewhere in the inland, is really indigenous tliere, or a relict of 

 former cultivation. Moreover, tliough the number of scientific explorations 

 to the inland of China is already considérable and is growing rapidly. 

 most of them were undertaken with a very gênerai, botanical or geo- 

 ethnographical aim; in such cases of course the tea plant is mentioned 

 only incidentally and obvions mistakes are not rare. And the journals of 

 tliose travellers who were sent out specially in service of tea cultivation, 

 are sure to contain complaints of the little information they were able 

 to coilect. Doubllessly, however, many an accusation of réticence or trick- 

 ery would not hâve been pronounced, had the traveller possessed a more 

 intimate knowledge of the Chinese language and national customs. Thus, 

 one instance of opposition often cited '), runs to tliis effect that the 

 Chinese, when they are to furnish tea seed to Europeans, immerse it into 

 boiling water previously, lest the „barbarians from the wesf should take 

 too much advantage of it. Fortune however will not believe this, and 

 gives an altogether plausible explanation of the bad germination of China 

 tea seed in foreign countries, viz., that it has a natural tendency to putrify 

 very soon. This is quite true indeed. 



Anyhow, it is an undeniable fact that many kinds of difficulties stand 

 in the way of an historical or a renewed personal study of the original 

 distribution of the tea plant. One can, however, if not too exacting as to 

 accuracy, obtain an idea of this distribution by a look at the map where 

 1 hâve indicated those places that are recorded as tea-centres in my 

 référence works. (Fig. 1). 



We see, then, that the most important export-towns 2), as well as the 

 greater number of cultivation districts, are accumulatcd between the Yang- 

 tse-kiang to the North and the Hsi-kiang to the South, i.e. between 23*^ 

 and 31» N. htitude, although tea is to be found even in Minchuria, 

 according to Fontanier^). The former area embraces the provinces Kwang- 

 tung, Fo-kien, Kiang-si, Che-kiang, Hu-peh and Hu-nan. The principal 

 export-harbours are Can-ton (black and green tea), Fu-chau (black), 

 Shang-hai (green chiefly,) and Han-kau (black tea chiefly). It is obvious 



is it imoossible to say more about the âge of the /?//-;'« dictionary than that it exisfed 

 long before the Christian era, but Bretschneider's quotation does not render the 

 meaning of the original text either, and it iS even open to doubt whether it refers 

 to tea at ail! In several other respects professor de Groot severely criticizes 

 Bretschneider's authority, so that I am Inclined to doubt the importance of this 

 amateur-sinologue's discoveries (B. was a physician). 



') W. A. TiCHOMiRow 1892, p. 29. -This tradition niay be traced down lo Breynius 

 (1678. p. 113). 



-) Espccially mentioned in C.-.A GuiGON 1901. 



3) H. FoNTANlER 1870, p 88. .,La culture du Thé est très peu répandue en Mandchourie; 

 ,,à l'e.xception des plantations du district du Haï-tchoue-wéï, il y croît généralement 

 „à l'état sauvage. Il est très-peu estimé des Chinois, qui sen servent pour frelater 

 „les Thés venant du Sud."— It seems doubtful whether there is really wild tea. or 

 perhaps some other plant that is used as a substitute for it. 



