Source: The passage "myriad rivers, though flowing from different sources, all return to the sea," in Fan Lun Xun, a section of Huainanzi.
Meaning: An aspiration shared by all.
Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty had an uncle named Liu An, who bore the title King of Huainan. Liu An called together many thousands of people skilled in astronomy, medicine and divination, and wrote a book several hundred thousand characters in length, called Huainanzi.
In a section of Huainanzi named Fan Lun Xun, he wrote: Our ancestors lived on riverbanks and in mountain caves, wore rough and simple clothing and lived a harsh existence.
Later sages appeared who led everyone in building houses so that they had somewhere to shelter from the rain, cold and heat.
The sages taught people how to make farm tools and weapons, so that they could grow more crops and protect themselves from wild beasts.
Later still, rituals and music were devised, and all sorts of laws and systems were formulated. The book expresses the view that society is continuously developing, so whatever elements of ancient social systems are unsuitable should be discarded, while whatever elements are appropriate should be encouraged.
All this shows that just as "myriad rivers, though flowing from different sources, all return to the sea," people working in different occupations all share a common goal of improving society and living better lives.
In 1748, the British Captain Anson, after capturing a Spanish ship, sailed his prize towards Macao to ask to take on water and provisions; but his intentions were misunderstood. From the pictures we can compare the different lines of the old-style 18th-century sailing ships and the clippers.
A calendar card given away in the late 19th century by a firm of English tea merchants. It shows the whole cycle of tea being grown in a tea garden, leaving Shanghai, arriving in London as "new season tea," and being put away in the warehouse. （courtesy of the Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum, London）
These samples of China tea in the Cutty Sark are tied with beautiful silken threads, with different colors representing different kinds of tea.
Replica tea chests on the Cutty Sark. They hold black tea and imperial tea, a kind of green tea. In real life her hold would have been crammed full of such chests.
Tea from a Swedish East Indiaman which foundered in 1745. When it was salvaged in 1984, it still retained much of its flavor, showing how well it was packed all those years ago.
The Cutty Sark's figurehead Nannie was originally carved from softwood, and today to preserve it safely it is put on display inside the ship's hold, while a replica does duty outside under the bowsprit.
The Cutty Sark's hold houses an exhibition in words and pictures on the history of the tea trade and the clipper ships. She attracts visitors from all over the world.
Whether the Cutty Sark can continue to ride out the years in the harbor of time still depends on everyone digging into their pockets to help.
London's famous Tower Bridge was built in 1894. The spot was previously the finishing point of the great annual tea races.
Both banks of the Thames near Tower Bridge used to be lined with tea warehouses. Shown here is Butler's Wharf, where the record for the number of chests of tea unloaded in one day was 5000. There are plans to buy Butler's Wharf to house a tea museum.
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