THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



down to the lowliest and poorest of 

 the Emperor's subjects, it is the cus- 

 tom in both Japan and China to 

 offer tea to every visitor upon his 

 arrival. Not to do this would be 

 an unpardonable breach of national 

 manners. Even in the shops, the 

 customer is regaled with a soothing 

 cup before the goods are displayed 

 to him. This does not, however, 

 impose any obligation on the pros- 

 pective purchaser, but it is, never- 

 theless, a good stimulant to part with 

 his money. This appears to be a 

 very ancient tradition in China and 

 Japan so ancient that it is contin- 

 ued by the powers that be in Para- 

 dise and Hades, according to a 

 translation called "Strange Stories 

 from My Small Library," a classical 

 Chinese work published in 1679. 



49 



