Why “The Price of Tea in China”?

“What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?”

First heard in the 1850’s in Britain

This witty little aphorism is less common nowadays, but means “What’s that got to do with anything?” I love that it shows both China’s importance in centuries past to Western society, yet emphasizes how something can be unrelated to current events.

The origin is surprisingly hard to pin down with primary sources, but a consensus of tenuously-reliable ones echo the same idea: the origin comes from the British House of Commons in the 1850’s, when the actual price of tea in China held enormous economic significance.

“What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?” is an idiomatic way to say “How does the topic you just mentioned relate in any way to the current topic of discussion?” And thus, its connection to this site.

While it’s customary to commemorate public figures when significant events happen, the purpose of the Price of Tea in China–the site–is to highlight interesting or commendable humans whether or not current events relate to the individuals at hand–and thus, the connection to the idiom.

Content will undoubtedly be influenced by organizations that themselves feature notable authors or events related to remarkable people, but that’s to be expected. Rather, the main focus of this corner of the Internet is to act without waiting for such an impetus for each post. In this way, the Price of Tea in China hopes, over time, to become a consistent reminder of the forces that shape daily life here under the surface of the shifting tides and waves of public opinion–a repository of sorts that shines whether or not people notice it in the rhythm of world events.

Some of the message boards and free dictionaries that I drew information from:

• https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/price_of_tea_in_China
• https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/63329/where-did-the-price-of-tea-in-china-come-from
• https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/the+price+of+tea+in+China