Primary Sources, Historical Collections

"Three Years' Wanderings in the Northern Provinces of China" recounts Robert Fortune's travels through China in the mid-19th century. Fortune, a Scottish botanist, explored regions beyond the reach of most Westerners at the time, providing detailed observations of Chinese agriculture, particularly tea cultivation and silk production. This historical account offers a unique glimpse into the economic and cultural landscape of China during a period of significant transformation. Fortune's accessible writing style and detailed descriptions make this work a valuable primary source for understanding Chinese society and the global tea trade in the 19th century. This edition includes a foreword by T. S. Wentworth.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.