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Tea for tael

Tea for tael​
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About this collection

From its discovery in Asia, to its adoption in the West, tea is a much loved and sought-after herb around the world. It was the focus of many customer transactions in HSBC’s early days and played an important role in international trade. This snapshot features a selection of tea-related items from our collections. Enjoy paintings, adverts, letters and more – perhaps with a nice cup of tea!

Trade and markets Customers The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

Records

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Tea brick currency from North-eastern China​
Tea brick currency from North-eastern China​
Portrait of Wu Bingjian, who traded as ‘Houqua’, by the artist George Chinnery
Portrait of Wu Bingjian, who traded as ‘Houqua’, by the artist George Chinnery
Extract from the ‘Chronicle and Directory for China, Japan, the Philippines and Hong Kong’ issued in 1884​
Extract from the ‘Chronicle and Directory for China, Japan, the Philippines and Hong Kong’ issued in 1884​
Letter sent to the Calcutta (Kolkata) Manager of the Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, concerning advances against tea crops
Letter sent to the Calcutta (Kolkata) Manager of the Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, concerning advances against tea crops
Photograph of four overseas staff of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation enjoying tea in a garden, Shanghai, China
Photograph of four overseas staff of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation enjoying tea in a garden, Shanghai, China
Detail from the 1909 design 100 Hong Kong dollars specimen banknote (front) issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Hong Kong​
Detail from the 1909 design 100 Hong Kong dollars specimen banknote (front) issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in Hong Kong​
Photograph of a child's bedroom in the Mercantile Bank of India manager's house in Sourabaya (Surabaya), Indonesia​ ​
Photograph of a child's bedroom in the Mercantile Bank of India manager's house in Sourabaya (Surabaya), Indonesia​ ​
Letter from the Fu Hing Tea Company to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation​
Letter from the Fu Hing Tea Company to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation​
Letter from the China Associated Tea Corporation to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Letter from the China Associated Tea Corporation to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Photograph of Arthur Morse on the occasion of his retirement as Chairman and Chief Manager of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Photograph of Arthur Morse on the occasion of his retirement as Chairman and Chief Manager of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Photograph of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation staff in Sandakan, Malaya (Malaysia) with Chief Manager Michael Turner​
Photograph of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation staff in Sandakan, Malaya (Malaysia) with Chief Manager Michael Turner​