Support WBURTea Tuesdays: The Scottish Spy Who Stole China's Tea EmpireNPR StaffMarch 10, 2015 ShareAn illustration from a book published in 1851 depicts the cultivation of tea in China. In the mid-19th century, China controlled the world's tea production. That soon changed, thanks to a botanist with a penchant for espionage. (Internet Archive)