How Britain Stole Tea

Richard Tilney-Bassett is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in London. Instagram: Portfolio: By the 1800s Britain was deeply in love with the humble cup of tea… not to mention the significant tax profits its import provided. But Britain’s East India Company was less enamoured with being subject to the whims and closed trading practices of its sole supplier - China. So they devised a plan to secure their own tea production operation, which involved enlisting the talents of Robert Fortune - a plant hunter - to steal his way into China’s interior to procure the necessary secrets. Music Valiant - Luar Intro - Luar Memories - Ryan Taubert Vague - Amaranth Cove A Place Beyond Belief - SLPSTRM Sources For all the Tea in China - Sarah Rose Darjeeling - Jeff Koehler A Journey to the Tea Countries of China - Robert Fortune Wellcome Collection (CC by 4.0) Library of Congress (CC by 4.0) David Rumsey Map Collection