Saturday, September 28, 2019

For All the Tea in China



In the mid-19th century, Britain was an almost unchallenged empire. It controlled about a fifth of the world's surface, and yet its weakness had everything to do with tiny leaves soaked in hot water: tea. By 1800, it was easily the most popular drink among Britons.



Robert Fortune was a 19th-century Scottish botanist who helped the East India Trading Company swipe the secrets of tea production from China.Apic/Getty Images


The problem? All the tea in the world came from China, and Britain couldn't control the quality or the price. So around 1850, a group of British businessmen set out to create a tea industry in a place they did control: India.

For All the Tea In China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History is writer Sarah Rose's account of the effort to control the tea market, what she calls the "greatest single act of corporate espionage in history."

"The task required a plant hunter, a gardener, a thief, a spy. The man Britain needed was Robert Fortune," Rose writes. Fortune was the agent sent to sneak out of China the plants and secrets of tea production.

Before Fortune, England engaged in trade with China, sending opium in exchange for tea.

But "the Chinese emperor hated that opium was the medium of exchange, because a nation of drug addicts was being created. So the emperor confiscated all the opium [and] destroyed it all," Rose told NPR's Guy Raz in a 2010 interview. "England sent warships. And at the end of the day, they realized that if they were going to keep pace with the British tea consumption and not deal with the Chinese, they had to own it themselves."

Enter Robert Fortune, a botanist in an era when the natural sciences were on the ascent in Britain. At the time, many botanists had university degrees and were trained as doctors, but Fortune, who was Scottish, grew up poor.

"He kind of worked his way up through the ranks of professional botany, learning with hands-on training instead of book training," Rose said.

Around 1845, when the botanist was in his early 30s, he took a two-year trip to China in search of plants. Upon his return, he published a travelogue in which he described his adventures.

"He was attacked by pirates, he was attacked by bandits, he encountered all kinds of disease and storms, and he also goes in Chinese disguise, dressed up as if he were a wealthy Chinese merchant," Rose said.

His memoir captured the imagination of Victorian society, and Fortune was approached by a representative of the East India Trading Company — at the time, one of the most important (if not the most important) multinational corporations in the world. The company recruited Fortune to return to China — this time, to smuggle tea out of the country.

"They wanted really good tea stock from the very best gardens in China, and they also needed experts. They needed the Chinese to go to India to teach the British planters, as well as the Indian gardeners," Rose explained.

Fortune succeeded. He managed to get seeds from China to India, and the impact on the tea trade was immense. Within his lifetime, India surpassed China as the world's largest tea grower.

"It astonishes me," Rose said. "China has pretty much never really come back from that, certainly not in the Western markets. Now that Asia has such a booming economy, the Chinese are again pretty fierce tea producers. But it took a hundred-plus years."

So was Fortune history's greatest corporate thief, or the man we can thank for the tea we drink?

"I think he thought of himself as a China expert and a gardener," Rose said. "He didn't see himself as stealing something that didn't belong to him. He thought plants belonged to everybody."






Sunday, September 1, 2019

Perak State Council 1939


Perak State Council 1939.
Mr Leong Sin Nam (seated second from left).

Adapted from Arkib Negara Malaysia.

Perak State Council 1936


Perak State Council 1936.
Mr Leong Sin Nam (seated 1st from right).

Adapted from Arkib Negara Malaysia.

Perak State Council 1925


Perak State Council 1925.
Mr Leong Sin Nam (3rd from right).

Adapted from Arkib Negara Malaysia.

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Dual Bronchodilator in COPD

Chaired meeting today.  Lecture delivered by Dr Kumaresh from Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun Ipoh. 

Thursday, May 2, 2019

ACS Speech Day 2019

ACS Speech Day 2019

YB Dato Dr Gurdeep Singh Man, Guest of Honour,

Mr Visvanathan, Chairman PIBG,

Mr Avtar Singh, Representative ACS Alumni Association,

Mr John Seeni, Principal of ACS Secondary School and members of the ACS Teaching Fraternity 

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good afternoon and welcome to the ACS Speech Day 2019.

ACS was founded by Rev Horley in 1895, some 124 years ago.  He was a good man with a heart to teach and to serve the local community.  He realised education was the way to obtain knowledge, the way out of poverty, the means to develop leadership skills and to equip oneself in nation building.  

Rev Horley’s vision of a great teaching institution can only be realised if we have dedicated teachers, a supportive local community and when we have good government education policies.  

For a student to obtain academic excellence we need to reflect on the ACS badge motto.  The motto is Benne Orasse, Benne Studuisse which means pray well and study well.  

Students need to put in many hours daily to study intelligently, to obtain the A’s required to get themselves into tertiary education and to graduate. They also need to pray about their future careers. 

Today being Speech Day, we are about to recognise the outstanding students in the various fields of studies. Congratulations on your achievements.  Your parents and teachers are very proud of your achievements. 

Your achievements came with a cost.  There were long hours of studies and much sacrifice.  Do remember your teachers, your parents and the numerous friends that had supported you all the way to success.  When you leave ACS remember to join the ACS alumni association so to keep in close contact with each other.

I wish to encourage you to recollect how the school and teachers have made a difference in your well-being.  Remember to contribute time, expertise or money, whenever you can, to your Alma Mater so the students can achieve even greater success.  

My family’s link with ACS has gone on for 3 generations.  I am always mindful on how the family had and will continue to contribute.  You can also do likewise.

My grandfather the late Mr Leong Sin Nam, an immigrant from China, had donated the Science Block above the toilet.  He did not study in this school, but he vehemently supported both English and Chinese education.  In the years following the Great Depression of 1929 he helped sustained the ailing Yuk Choy Public Chinese School, Perak Public Girls School and the Min Tet Chinese School.

My father the late Mr Leong Yeow Nyean, studied in ACS.  He studied and played well.  He was a champion athlete and he obtained the necessary grades to further his studies in the University of Melbourne.  He had fond memories of his Alma Mater and donated the new wing of the ACS Canteen.

I studied in this school, starting from Wesley’s Kindergarten until Upper Six.  I certainly have good memories of this school, the teachers that taught me and the friends that I have come to know.  I always make it a point to attend our ACS alumni dinners and contribute at Board level. 

At this point in time I have one advice for our young students.  The advice is to remain focused on your studies and not to participate in too many extracurricular activities which would take too much time off from your studies.  Consider only 1 or 2 other extracurricular activities which you are passionate about, those which you believe can help make you a better person.  I remember while I was in Lower Six I was immersed in too many extracurricular activities.  When the Lower Six trial exam results were out there was this one concerned science teacher who looked visibly heart broken.  I am sure there are dedicated teachers among you who care just as much about your school performance.  I took it from Mr Woon, that I needed to do better in exams, not only to impress him but also for my own academic success.  Came Upper Six I dropped unimportant school activities and concentrated on my studies.  And thank God I am what I am today. 

The current slogan of the school is “ACS leads the way”.  ACS has indeed led the way for many of you. During your course of study, I hope you have built up a character of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

As you leave this school one day, you will be counted on to lead the way.  You will be expected to lead your family, your children, your workers and perhaps even your country.  

And how are you going to become a good leader?

First build up your character and trust God.

Then, define your purpose in life.  Your purpose in life should not only be for self, which is instinctive, but also to be caring enough for humanity. You can be part of something good or you can be trying to put something together, something which is bigger and greater than yourself. Go and create a world where everyone has a greater sense of purpose for humanity. 

Once you have defined your purpose in life, identify your burden. Your burden is characterised by the feeling of unease or guilt for not acting on something that you care about. 

The response to your burden will be your call to action. The call to action will depend on your: 

- Talents which you were born with.  Your school can help sharpen your talents. 

- Spiritual Gifts which you need to seek and discover from God, and

- Passion.  This is where your enthusiasm or excitement for something lies.  Your passion will depend on your personality, background and life situations.

The call to action may mean starting a meaningful project, redefining equality and or establishing community. Be brave enough to take the first step, work on it and persevere despite the odds. You may never grasp what good will come out from your effort.  When your action bears fruit, you will have the sense of inner peace and joy.

Once again, I wish to congratulate you on your Speech Day 2019. 

In conclusion, ACS leads the way, in making leaders of the future. Remember to join the ACS Alumni Association and contribute to your Alma Mater to make it an even greater institution in future.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Sign: Dr Leong Oon Keong