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poppy, papaver somniferum was rst grown in large amounts in India by the British Empire. It’s primary purpose was to even out the balance of trade between the British Empire and the Chinese. A er tea was introduced to the British people, consumption rose to a point where the British govern- ment was concerned about it’s trade de cit with China. e Chinese were not interested in any of Great Britain’s usual trade products. Even British cloth did not tempt the Chinese who were used to silk.
As the addictive properties of opium became better known, the British set out to create a China of addicts, which they did by sending and smuggling the drug into China in unprecedented quanties, in spite of China’s protests. e British placed vast tracts of In- dian land under poppy cultivation, and made it illegal for any one else
to grow the opium poppy. Huge “fac-
tories” were built where the opium
was collected, graded and packaged
for export. In fact, so huge did the
opium trade become that the opium
smugglers built special ultra fast sail-
ing ships to out run the heavy slow
Chinese junks. ese fast ships became known as the ‘opium clippers’ and were the fastest ocean going sailing cra ever built. e ships used in the fa- mous Americas Cup race are based on the designs of the opium clippers.
So, you could say that tea had a follow- ing that was as devoted to the beverage as opium addicts. Eventually, the Brit- ish wanted their own tea plantations
so they could bypass the Chinese alto- gether. A er the two Opium Wars were fought by China and Great Britain, the British began developing their own
tea plantations in India, thanks to the boldness of an Englishman who went to China, passed himself o as Chinese and stole a few living bushes from Chi- na. Many of our most loved black teas come from these tranplanted tea bush- es. Not only were these teas under Brit- ish control but the Chinese could no longer sell adultered tea to the English, green tea made green with arsenic.
So, the next time you sit down to enjoy your tea, realize that the same drink you have in your cup had the power
to build vast fortunes and empires. launch multi-national corporations and re-write history.
Alan McKee has been a professional writer most of his life. As a boy, he helped his father, Alvin Schwartz, write Superman and Batman comics for DC in New. York en followed a long international career as an advertising copywriter and graphic artist. For most of his life he has used words and images to communicate. He has three historical novels for sale on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Each demonstrates his skills as a researcher and nar- rator. Visit his s www.hudsonhousemysteries.com