In China, tea is commonly cultivated in small patches or fields,
large tea fields being the exception.

The nature of Chinese inheritance laws and customs which tend
to continual subdivision of land, may be one of the causes of this
state of affairs.

The least area of spare ground is frequently utilized by the small
farmer or the cottager for the cultivation of a dozen or more tea
shrubs, from which they procure tea for their own use, or realize
a small sum by sales of the green leaves to tea traders. Many a
rocky hillside or mountain slope, otherwise waste ground, is
terraced so as to detain the rains and meagre soil within its
inwardly inclined banks and trenches, and made to yield a
valuable crop of tea. Indeed, some of the finest flavored Chinese
tea, of fabulous value where they are produced, are grown in
seemingly inaccessible retreats among precipitous mountains.

The plate on the following page is a reproduction of a Chinese
drawing brought from China by Robert Fortune, the Scotch botanist
and traveler, and first published in Mr. Fortune’s Two Visits to
the Tea Countries of China, London, 1853, now out of print. The
picture represents with Chinese fidelity a scene on the River of
Nine Windings, in the Bohea Hills, and in the heart of a black
tea district. Mr. Fortune spent several days at the scene of the
illustration, and writes of the country as follows:

“Our road was a very rough one. It was merely a foot path, and
sometimes narrow steps cut out of the rock. When we had gone
about two miles we came to a solitary temple on the banks of a
small river which here winds amongst the hills. This stream is
called by the Chinese, the river of the Nine Windings, from the
circuitous turnings which it takes amongst the hills of Woo-e-
shan. Here the finest Souchongs and Pekoes are produced, but I
believe that they rarely find their way to Europe, or only in
small quantities. The temple we had now reached was small and
insignificent building. It seemed a sort of half way resting
place for people on the road from Tsin-Tsun to the hills, and
when we arrived, several travelers and coolies were sitting in
the porch, drinking tea. The temple belonged to the Taouists, and
was inhabited by an old priest and his wife. . . .

The old priest received us with great politeness, and according to custom
gave me a piece of tobacco and set a cup of tea before me. Sing-
Hoo now asked whether he had a spare room in his house, and
whether he would allow us to remain with him for a day or two. He
seemed very glad of the chance to make a little money, and led us
up stairs to a room. The house and temple, like some which I
already described, were built against a perpendicular rock which
formed an excellent and substantial back wall to the building.
The top of the rock overhung the little building, and the water
from it continually dripping on the roof of the house gave the
impression that it was raining.

“The stream of the Nine Windings flowed past the front of the
temple. Numerous boats were plying up and down, many of which, I
was told, contained parties of pleasure who had come to see the
strange scenery amongst these hills. The river was very rapid,
and these boats seemed to fly when going with the current, and
were soon lost to view. On all sides the strangest rocks and
hills were observed, having generally a temple and a tea
manufactory near their summit. Sometimes they seemed so steep the
the buildings could only be approached by a ladder; but generally
the road was cut of the rock in steps, and by this means the top
was reached. . . .

Some curious marks were observed on the sides of some of these
perpendicular rocks. At a distance they seemed as if they were
the impress of some gigantic hands. I did not get very near these
marks, but I believe that many of them have been formed by the
water oozing out and trickling down the surface; they did not
seem to be artificial; but a strange appearance is given to rocks
by artificial means. Emperors and other great and rich men have
had stones with large letters carved upon them let into or built
in the face of the rocks. At a distance these have a most curious
appearance. . . .