Linking an Asian trans-regional commerce in tea : overseas Chinese merchants in the Fujian-Singapore trade, 1920-1960

Current historical work on the international tea trade has focused on the Sino-British trade and the impact of capitalism and modern technology on tea production in India and Ceylon. These studies have overlooked the changes that were afoot in the Fujian tea industry and the problems with conducting the trade with the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Using the Fujian-Singapore trade as an illustration and drawing on Chinese-language archival materials, this book looks at the state of tea production in Fujian; the overseas Chinese tea merchants and the fluctuations of the trade during the period of political instability in China; the Sino-Japanese War; decolonisation in Singapore; and the period of collectivisation in China and the Cold War. Current historical work on the international tea trade has focussed on the Sino-British trade and the impact of capitalism and modern technology on tea production in India and Ceylon. These studies have overlooked the changes that were afoot in the Fujian tea industry and the problems with conducting the trade with the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Using the Fujian-Singapore trade as an illustration and drawing on Chinese-language archival materials, this book looks at the state of tea production in Fujian, the overseas Chinese tea merchants and the fluctuations of the trade during the p Drawing on Chinese-language archival materials, this book offers a comprehensive study on the changes taking place in the Fujian tea industry and the fluctuations of the Fujian-Singapore tea trade from 1920 to 1960.