50 Things That Made The Modern Economy

with Tim Harford

Robert Fortun was much annoyed when his Chinese servant returned to the ship with a

pathetically small collection of plants. Clearly, rather than trekking into the hills,

the servant had barely ventured beyond the shore.

Fortun assumed had been lazy.

Like most of the Chinese, he was rather remarkable for this propensity.

The servant protested, he had been told that the people who lived in the hills in that

part of Southeast China were dangerous.

Nonsense said Fortun, they'd go together.

The ships captain offered to send some crew members for protection.

No need, said Fortun.

Doubt started to creep in when the locals, seeing him stride off towards the hills,

attempted to dissuade me from going by intimating that I was sure to be attacked by the chinchu men

and robbed or murdered.

Then he noticed the locals were armed.

Self-defense explained his servant, well, it was too late now.

I determined to put a bold face on the matter and proceed.

At first, all went smoothly.

Foreigners were a rare sight, and Fortun drew quite a crowd, but they were generally civil.

He filled his specimen boxes with three or four hundred of the Chinese of both sexes and

all ages, looking down upon us with wonder.

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