Inside a Chinese 'Hong'

This painting is from a set of 12 depicting the tea industry in China. It shows workers stamping on tea leaves in chests, while a 'hong' merchant negotiates with an European buyer. 'Hong' merchants had the authority of the Chinese government to trade with Europeans. China was the sole supplier of tea to the entire world before about 1750. Artists targeted paintings such this at Europeans eager to find out how tea was grown and processed in China.