The Economist.
Hi, I’m Jiehao Chen, The Economist's China researcher.
As a Chinese person living in London,
I’ve always found it intriguing how the hills of Southern China
are connected to the banks of the Thames by the Cutty Sark tea clipper.
In this week’s episode of Drum Tower,
my colleague James Miles explores that connection.
I hope you enjoy it.
This is a story inspired by a childhood memory.
It’s of tea time in the late afternoon, a pot of Lapsang Souchong for my late father.
Its smoky aroma would fill the room.
He loved this ritual when he wasn’t at work.
The red tea cozy on the dark brown pot, I remember them vividly.
This was his "me time," and Lapsang Souchong was his drink.
My siblings and I weren’t so keen,
but the scent was so distinctive and its name so evocative of a remote, mysterious culture.
I think the brand he used to drink was Twinings, a big British tea firm.
Lapsang Souchong has a long history in Britain.
It was the tea of choice for posh Victorians in the 19th century.
It was synonymous with refinement and taste.