#中国印记# 【剑桥历史学家：没有茶，就没有工业革命和大英帝国】一杯茶，竟成了推动英国工业革命的无形之手。历史学家艾伦·麦克法兰著有《绿色黄金：茶叶帝国》一书，提出了一个颠覆性的观点：是茶，而非蒸汽机，率先为工业革命铺平了道路。安全的茶水，取代了不洁的饮水，减少了水源疾病，让大规模城市化成为可能。工厂里的茶歇，维系着工人在恶劣环境下的精力与专注。更重要的是，曾支撑起帝国贸易支柱的东印度公司，其核心业务正是中国茶叶。现代世界的面貌，竟是从一杯清茶开始被悄然塑造。British historian Alan Macfarlane reveals a startling truth: it was tea, not the steam engine, that first paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. Safe boiled tea water allowed vast urban populations to survive, because the water had previously been too dirty to drink. In factories, tea breaks and tea trolleys sustained workers' energy and focus through long, repetitive hours. Even more crucially, the East India Company – the backbone of Britain's global trade – was built on Chinese tea. The modern world, it turns out, was quietly shaped by a simple cup of tea. http://t.cn/AXzKE5pc