#history
How Tea Cultivation Arrived in India.
In the mid-19th century, tea was an important drink in Britain. However, all the tea was imported from China, which had a monopoly on tea production.
The British East India Company, which controlled trade in Asia, wanted to break this monopoly. They decided to send a Scottish botanist named Robert Fortune to China. His mission was to secretly gather information about how tea was grown and processed. By learning these secrets, the British hoped to grow their own tea in India and reduce their reliance on China.
Fortune disguised himself as a Chinese merchant to blend in and avoid attracting attention. He shaved his head and wore traditional Chinese clothing, allowing him to travel through the tea-growing regions of China.
During his time there, he learned about the different types of tea plants and the methods used to produce tea. He even managed to smuggle out seeds and plants, which he later brought back to India. His efforts played a significant role in starting the tea industry in regions like Assam and Darjeeling.
Fortune’s mission was risky, but it changed the tea trade forever. The British East India Company was able to establish tea plantations in India, which helped them control the tea market.
The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Indian tea is famous all over the world and is one of the biggest foreign exchange earners in the country.
