The mountainous province of Fukien lies on China's southern coast midway between Shanghai and Hongkong.
Its ports of Foochow and Amoy are well known to foreigners, but behind them lies a hinterland which up to a few years ago was reached only by shallow waterways and stone-paved paths. Even now there are no railways in Fukien, but there are many roads. It was while on a motor journey over the Fukien-Chekiang highway that these photographs were taken. The people of north-east Fukien are home-loving creatures, and it is difficult to get them to leave their home districts. They lack the adventurous spirit of the seaboard Fukienese who are perhaps China's best sailors.
Timber and tea are Fukien's greatest exports. Some of the finest teas in China come from the-Wuyi hills of north-east Fukien. The local pronunciation is bu-i,"" and the English version, " bohea," became in the 18th and early 19th centuries a synonym for tea.
Of. Pope's line, So past her time twixt reading and bohea."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.