52 TEA 



crop, and preparing it for market ; and tiny toddlers 

 are enjoying themselves in fields and sheds, playing at 

 work, and unconsciously learning their first lessons in 

 tea-making. 



About a fortnight ago the fields were picked over 

 for the first time this j^ear ; then only the delicate leaf- 

 buds were taken off the bushes, for the purpose of 

 making tea of extra fine quality. Much of the tea 

 prepared from this first crop is kept by the farmers 

 for use on ceremonial occasions, or for presentation to 

 friends, and to anyone — native or foreigner — for whom 

 they have a high regard. The second flush, which is 

 now being plucked, is the all-important commercial 

 crop of the season. A little later on a third flush will 

 be ready ; this will be the last crop of the season, and 

 will produce inferior tea. 



In acting as your guide among the tea-lands of 

 China, I am taking you from place to place, and showing 

 you such operations as happen to be in course of 

 progress at the time of our visit ; I shall not attempt to 

 classify the habits and customs of the Chinese tea- 

 farmer into the system he follows until you have 

 collected a series of memory pictures. 



We are standing in a small field, amidst a patch of 

 tea-bushes. Our near neighbours are half a dozen 

 women, a man and a little girl. The women are 

 plucking. Their costume consists of loose cotton 

 trousers, a long coat, fastening at the side and em- 

 broidered round the neck and sleeves, and embroidered 

 slippers. They have very smooth, glossy black hair, 

 neatly coiled at the back of the head, and cut in front 

 into a fringe that forms a straight, deep band across 

 the forehead. They wear very little jewellery — a 



