宜昌关海关报告：十年间进出口情况（1892-1901）

The Shihnan prefecture，on the Szechwan border，produces Black Tea which is said to be of remarkably fine flavour and quality，but it suffers from careless preparation and the long journey to Hankow.In 1896 some enterprising Cantonese started a factory in the producing district，and fired and packed their Tea on the spot，shipping it byste-amer at Ichang.Unfortunately，their first venture did not prove a success，and the experiment，which might have succeeded if persisted in，was not repeated.

译：四川边境的施南府出产的红茶，据说味道和品质都很好，但却因粗心的前期准备和运往汉口的长途旅行而饱受煎熬。在1896年，一些有进取心的广东人在红茶生产区创办了一家工厂，并在现场烘焙茶叶，然后包装，在宜昌装船运往汉口。不幸的是，他们的第一次创业并没有成功，而且如果坚持的话，这个悲剧也不会上演。

Tea is grown in small quantities in several parts of the province，and，from the occasional plants one frequently meets with in travelling，it is evident that the tea plant was rather extensively cultivated in former times.The tea known to buyers and tea-tasters as Ichang tea is grown in the Ho-feng（í9d）district.It is produced in small quantities，but the quality in regarded by some as being little inferior to Ningchow tea.The leaves of a great variety of plants are used by the country-people as a substitube for tea，the coolie class in Ichang preferring them to the real article.(www.xing528.com)

译：茶叶在湖北省的一些地区都有少量种植，并且这些茶叶曾在旅行游记里被提及。很明显，这说明在以前茶树栽培相当广泛。在宜昌（鹤峰）区种植的茶叶一直以来都为茶商和品茶者所熟知，这种茶叶被命名为“宜昌红茶”。它的生产量很少，但一些人认为其质量不如宁州红茶。许多植物的叶子被乡人用来制成茶叶替代品，宜昌地区的贫苦人群更喜欢这种替代品。