Excerpt from A Naturalist in Western China, Vol. 2: With Vasculum, Camera, and Gun, Being Some Account of Eleven Years' Travel, Exploration, and Observation in the More Remote Parts of the Flowery Kingdom

Our knowledge of the marvellous richness of the Chinese ¿ora has been very slowly built up. Travellers, missionaries of all denominations, merchants, consuls, Maritime Customs officials, and all sorts and conditions of men have added their quota, but, as in geography and other departments of knowledge relating to the Far East, the Roman Catholic priests have played the prominent part. The exclusive policy of the Chinese has necessarily increased the difficulties of Europeans who sought to acquire an intimate knowledge of the country, and all honour is due to the workers who have exploited this field in the past.

On behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society of London and others, Robert Fortune, in the 'forties and 'fifties of last century, completed the work of his predecessors and exhausted the gardens of China, to our gardens' benefit, but the difficulties of travel were such that he had practically no opportunity of investigating the natural wild ¿ora. With the exception of perhaps half a dozen plants, everything he sent home came from Chinese gardens. But one of his wildlings - Rhododendron Fortunei, to Wit - has proved of inestimable value to Rhododendron breeders.

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