VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 83 



Other plants, like the || (Chia) and the |g (She) cannot be 

 confounded with tea. For while infusions of the leaves of 

 some of these are sometimes used as a beverage, they are not 

 regarded by the natives as a substitute for tea. The same may 

 be said of the willow (-ffj flij Yang-liu), except that the leaves 

 of this tree and those of the white poplar are sometimes used to 

 adulterate tea. 



Wild tea, ^ ^(Yeh-ch'a), is regarded by the Chinese as 

 the best, especially that growing among the disintegrated stone 

 of the hill sides ; that growing on clayey soil being not regarded 

 so highly. Whether tlie tea plant is indigenous to China, or 

 whether these are "volunteers" from some forgotten tea 

 plantation, is uncertain. vSuffice it to say that these shrubs 

 are found growing plentifully upon the hill and mountain 

 waste lands of the tea producing districts. 



The action of tea upon the system is never cousidered bv 

 the Chinese to be anything but beneficial. In the words of the 

 Psntsao^ "it clears the voice, gives brilliancy to the eye, 

 invigorates the constitution, improves the mental faculties, 

 opens up the avenues of the body, promotes digestion, removes 

 flatulence, and regulates the body temperature." Clear water 

 is but little drunk in China, the common beverage being tea. 

 Yet, although the Chinese are thus drinking tea continuously 

 and in large quantities, it does not seem to have the deleterious 

 effect sometimes observed, especially in America. This may 

 be due to the fact that the Chinese do not steep their tea, but 

 only infuse it, preferably in a covered cup, but often in an 

 earthenware pot. Or, what is more probable, tea in China is 

 purer, containing no salts of copper and other such deleterious 

 substances as are frequently found in teas imported into Amer- 

 ica. 



The various names and brands of tea have reference to the 

 place from wdiich it conies, to the time of picking, to the 

 character of the leaf, and some are merely arbitrary trade 

 marks. In the order here given are Ningchow, from I-nino-- 

 chou in Kiangsi ; Hyson, from {IJf ||^ (Yti-ch'ien) "before the 

 rains"; Pekoe, from ^ ^ (Pai-hao), "white down", 

 referring to the white down on the young leaves of which 

 this brand is made ; and Oolong, from ,^ f | (Wu-lung), ' ' black 



