These are objects collected by, given to, or worn by Joseph Needham, Dorothy Needham and Lu Gwei-Djen. Objects given to the Needham Research Institute are catalogued as NRI 1

A note written by Lu Gwei-Djen states: ‘Tea Brick. E.F. Yang gave to B.S. Platt in 1934. Yang said it was in his father’s house ever since he was a child - it must have dated ca 1900. Obtained fr. Platt in 1967’. The brick has the character 福 imprinted on it. The brick is held in a wooden box labelled by Joseph Needham: 'Brick Tea'. Includes a torn postal address label for Lu Gwei-Djen with her address at 28 Owlstone Road, Cambridge.

A note written by Joseph Needham on the lid states:
‘Thien chha from Chin-yün-shan, Sze. Cf Cox (1) p.
?Vibarnum setigerum (theiferum) 飯湯子
Steward (1) p. 375’.
縉云山特產 甜茶

A note written on the box by Joseph Needham states: ‘Thea sinensis seeds from Meichiawu "Lung Ching" see 64 notes’.

The canister is shaped like a bottle with a cylindrical lid and might be made of tin. It has been bent out of shape. Just a few leaves of tea remain inside the tin. A paper label on the outside of the cannister is fragile and torn. It states in Chinese characters:

本莊世居武彜自置八大名岩歷春所產各種巗茶發行中外多蒙贊許於民國念四年三月經福建省特產競賽會審定蒙福建省政府給予一等獎狀茲秉固有精神益加奮勉對於培植棌製裝璜諸端[][]改良用副社會之要素[]為奉客之生産叨蒙惠顧不勝歡迎之至 福建武彜 瑞芳茶莊謹啓 總莊崇安中正路 支莊建陽中正路 茶厰武彜山會仙岩首.