Robert Fortune: The Tea Thief

AUSTRALIA/FRANCE CO-PRODUCTION
Year of completion
2001
Content type
Documentary
Format
Short
Duration
52 minutes
Production Status
Completed

Synopsis

By the middle of the 19th century, the West had become totally enchanted with a heady new brew, tea. But China held the monopoly on its trade and manufacture, which it had fiercely guarded for more than 5,000 years. The British sought to change that, by mounting one of the most audacious espionage missions the world had ever seen: to steal the secret of tea from Imperial China. The man they entrusted with this mission was Robert Fortune, a 36-year-old Scottish botanist.
Completion Year
2001
Format
Short
Production Status
Completed