Question

What item/items did the British merchant’s import from China?
a. Silk
b. Tea
c. Both (a) and (b)
d. None

Answer 1

Hint: Since the early modern era, between the 16th and 19th centuries, these products have mostly been shipped from China to the rest of the world. They were in great demand because China produced the most superior quality of these products.

Complete answer: (i) Britain imported Silk and tea from China.
(ii) During the 18th century, when tea slowly became more popular in England, most Britons tended to buy tea leaves planted in the Yangtze River Delta and Fujian area of China.
(iii) In a demanding Euro-American market, Chinese silk, including silk textiles and spun and raw silks, fulfilled an urgent supply for the consumers when silkworm disease had ruined European sericulture in the middle of the 19th century.
(iv) China was a very important producer of both tea and silk as they were in great demand in the European market.
Thus, the correct option is (C).

Note: Silk was not the main product transported on the Silk Road (that crossed Central Asia and connected China with the European heartland), contrary to popular belief. Other products which were transported were Porcelain, tea, paper, spices etc.