Traces of China: How Tea Fueled Britain’s Industrial Revolution

The journey takes you to Tregothnan Estate, Britain’s oldest tea garden, to experience the art of hand-picking tea. At Cambridge, historian Alan Macfarlane reveals that without Chinese tea, there might have been no Industrial Revolution — nor a British Empire.

The episode also uncovers the story of Robert Fortune and the Wardian case, which transformed global trade, and traces tea’s evolution — from London’s luxurious afternoon teas to the worldwide craze for bubble tea — all returning to the pure, authentic essence of Chinese tea.