214 



ROASTING VESSELS. 



It must be understood that the different parts of 

 the manipulation of tea, the roasting, rolling, sift- 

 ing, &c, are all carried on at the same moment, so 

 that a multitude of hands are employed. 



Thus, while some women are employed in pre- 

 paring the leaves for the process of Leang Ching, 

 others are engaged in picking off any remaining 

 stalks which may be left on them. They are then 

 sifted to rid them of dust and dirt, after which they 

 are in a fit state to be roasted. The Chinese say 

 that the roasting requires a man who understands 

 his business, as the quality of the tea depends much 

 upon this process. 



The Hyson Kuo is a thin vessel of cast iron, but 

 differing in form from that used in the manipula- 

 tion of black tea ; being considerably deeper, with 

 sides partly perpendicular, as may be seen in the 

 following plate : besides being fitted low down in 

 the stove. 



The arms are flat pieces of iron, projecting 

 from the sides of the vessel, by which it is fitted 

 into a stove of brickwork. The surface of the 



