543 



is certain that around Canton, whence great quantities are annually 

 exported, the green tea is dyed with Prussian blue, turmeric, and 

 gypsum, all reduced into fine powder. The process is well described 

 by Sir John F. Davis (' The Chinese,' vol. iii. p. 244 et seq), who, 

 however, falls into the strange mistake of supposing the whole pro- 

 ceeding of colouring to be an adulteration, and leaves his readers to 

 infer that it is only occasionally done in order to meet the urgency of 

 the demand, while it is now very well known that all the green tea of 

 Canton has assumed that colour by artificial dyeing. I had heard so 

 much about tea— copper plates, picking of the leaves, rolling them up 

 with the fingers, boiling them in hot water, &c., &c. — that I became 

 anxious to see with my own eyes the process of manufacture, of which 

 the various books had given such a confused idea. One of the great 

 merchants conducted me not only to his own but also to another esta- 

 blishment, where the preparation of the different sorts was going for- 

 ward. There was no concealment or mysterious proceeding ; every- 

 thing was conducted openly, and exhibited with great civility; indeed, 

 from all I saw in the country I am almost inclined to conclude that 

 either the Chinese have greatly altered, or their wish to conceal and 

 mystify everything, of which so much has been said, never existed. 

 The tea is brought to Canton unprepared. After its arrival it is first 

 subjected to cleaning. Women and children are employed to pick 

 out the pieces of twigs, seeds, and other impurities with which it hap- 

 pens to be intermixed. The only sorts which may be called natural 

 are those gathered at different seasons : the rest are prepared by arti- 

 ficial means. Without entering into a description of all these pro- 

 cesses, it may suffice to take one as an example. A quantity of Bohea 

 Saushung was thrown into a spherical iron pan, kept hot by means of 

 a fire beneath. These leaves were constantly stirred about until they 

 became thoroughly heated, when the dyes above mentioned were 

 added, viz..^ to about twenty pounds of tea, one spoonful of gypsum, 

 one of turmeric, and two or even three of Prussian blue. The leaves 

 instantly changed into a bluish-green, and, having been stirred for a 

 few minutes, were taken out. They, of course, had shrivelled and 

 assumed different shapes from the heat. The different kinds were 

 produced by sifting. The small longish leaves fell through the first 

 sieve and formed young Hyson, while those which had a roundish 

 granular shape fell through last, and constituted Choo-cha, or gun- 

 powder. 



