The Tea Thieves: How a Drink Shaped an Empire

By the mid-nineteenth century, Britain was a dominant global empire.
- Controlled about one-fifth of the world's surface.
- Faced a significant weakness relating to tea.
Tea Consumption in Britain
- By 1800, tea was the most popular drink in Britain.
- Britain could not control the quality or price of tea, which was solely produced in China.

Around 1850, British businessmen sought to establish a tea industry in India, which they controlled.
- Required significant efforts involving a:
- Plant hunter
- Gardener
- Thief
- Spy
- The key figure chosen for this task was Robert Fortune.
This narrative is detailed in Sarah Rose's book: For All the Tea in China.
- Describes the event as the greatest single act of corporate espionage in history.
- Chronicles how Britain aimed to undermine China's dominance in the tea trade.

The trade dynamic between Britain and China involved opium.
- Britain's action of shipping opium to China in exchange for tea.
- The Chinese emperor disapproved of this trade, as it created a nation of drug addicts.
- Resulted in the emperor confiscating and destroying all opium.
Britain's militaristic response was to send warships to protect commercial interests.
Realization that to fulfill the demand for tea in Britain, they needed to produce it independently.

Biography of Robert Fortune
- Botanist and horticulturist during Britain's scientific ascendance, with many contemporaries having university training.
- Born in Scotland, from a poor background, worked his way through the ranks with practical experience rather than formal education.
- Undertook a pivotal trip to China around 1845 for plant collection, lasting two years.
An adventurous journey involving:
- Encounters with pirates and bandits.
- Various diseases and severe weather.
- Cultural transvestitism; disguised as a wealthy Chinese merchant.
Published a travelogue detailing his exploits, successfully capturing the attention of Victorian society.

By 1848, East India Company, the preeminent multinational corporation, approached Fortune.
Requested a return trip to China to:
- Locate high-quality tea stock from premier Chinese gardens.
- Recruit Chinese experts to teach British planters and Indian gardeners about tea cultivation.
Fortune succeeded in bringing tea seeds back to India.
- Resulted in India surpassing China as the largest tea grower in the world during his lifetime.

China has struggled to regain its position in western tea markets post-Fortune's interventions.
- Remarkable historical shift in the global tea industry.
Current landscape shows that Asia's economy has rebounded, with China re-emerging as a strong tea producer after over a hundred years.

Discussion of Robert Fortune's perspective on his actions.
- Did not consider himself a thief; viewed himself as a China expert and gardener.
- Believed that “plants belong to everybody.”
Contrasting views on whether he should be regarded as:
- History's greatest corporate thief
- A benefactor responsible for the global popularity of tea.

Recognition of historian Sarah Rose as the author discussing the historical theft of tea and its impacts on global trade.