For All the Tea in China
How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History
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For All the Tea in China
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Narrated by:
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Sarah Rose
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By:
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Sarah Rose
About this listen
In 1848, the British East India Company, having lost its monopoly on the tea trade, engaged Robert Fortune, a Scottish gardener, botanist, and plant hunter, to make a clandestine trip into the interior of China - territory forbidden to foreigners - to steal the closely guarded secrets of tea horticulture and manufacturing. For All the Tea in China is the remarkable account of Fortune's journeys into China - a thrilling narrative that combines history, geography, botany, natural science, and old-fashioned adventure.
Disguised in Mandarin robes, Fortune ventured deep into the country, confronting pirates, hostile climate, and his own untrustworthy men as he made his way to the epicenter of tea production, the remote Wu Yi Shan hills. One of the most daring acts of corporate espionage in history, Fortune's pursuit of China's ancient secret makes for a classic 19th-century adventure tale, one in which the fate of empires hinges on the feats of one extraordinary man.
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An eye-opening account of an arrogant man's folly
- By Melissa on 09-17-13
By: Greg Grandin
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Vermeer's Hat
- The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World
- By: Timothy Brook
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 128
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 108
A Vermeer painting shows a military officer in a Dutch sitting room, talking to a laughing girl. In another canvas, fruit spills from a blue-and-white porcelain bowl. Familiar images that captivate us with their beauty--but as Timothy Brook shows us, these intimate pictures actually give us a remarkable view of an expanding world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A wonderful book
- By Acteon on 07-09-14
By: Timothy Brook
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1493
- Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
- By: Charles C. Mann
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,118
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,768
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,767
More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed radically different suites of plants and animals. When Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas, he ended that separation at a stroke. Driven by the economic goal of establishing trade with China, he accidentally set off an ecological convulsion as European vessels carried thousands of species to new homes across the oceans.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating Mindbending History.
- By Betsy Powel on 12-19-11
By: Charles C. Mann
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American Eden
- David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic
- By: Victoria Johnson
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 102
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 88
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 88
When Dr. David Hosack tilled the country's first botanical garden in the Manhattan soil more than 200 years ago, he didn't just dramatically alter the New York landscape; he left a monumental legacy of advocacy for public health and wide-ranging support for the sciences. In melodic prose, historian Victoria Johnson eloquently chronicles Hosack's tireless career to reveal the breadth of his impact. The result is a lush portrait of the man who gave voice to a new, deeply American understanding of the powers and perils of nature.
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5 out of 5 stars
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NYC as a semi-rural city
- By Elliott Wolfe, M.D. on 04-25-19
By: Victoria Johnson
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A History of the World in 6 Glasses
- By: Tom Standage
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,574
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,945
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,957
Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fun and Informative
- By Stoker on 09-09-11
By: Tom Standage
-
A Splendid Exchange
- How Trade Shaped the World
- By: William J. Bernstein
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 387
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 245
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 252
In A Splendid Exchange, William J. Bernstein tells the extraordinary story of global commerce from its prehistoric origins to the myriad controversies surrounding it today. He transports listeners from ancient sailing ships that brought the silk trade from China to Rome in the second century to the rise and fall of the Portuguese monopoly in spices in the 16th.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very interesting and Germane to Today's World
- By Mark on 07-18-08
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The Age of Gold
- The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream
- By: H.W. Brands
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 410
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 303
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 308
When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill on the American River, it completely transformed the territory of California. Hundreds of thousands of people sped to California by any means possible, and small cities sprung up to service their needs as they sought the precious metal. By 1850, California had become a state; it had also become a symbol of where the nation was going.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Very Enjoyable
- By Claire on 01-15-04
By: H.W. Brands
-
Labyrinth of Kingdoms
- 10,000 Miles Through Islamic Africa
- By: Steve Kemper
- Narrated by: Ed Phillips
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
In 1849 Heinrich Barth joined a small British expedition into unexplored regions of Islamic North and Central Africa. One by one his companions died, but he carried on alone, eventually reaching the fabled city of gold, Timbuktu. His five-and-a-half-year, 10,000-mile adventure ranks among the greatest journeys in the annals of exploration, and his discoveries are considered indispensable by modern scholars of Africa.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating
- By Sarah Broadwell on 02-02-15
By: Steve Kemper
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Indian Givers
- How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 437
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 349
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 351
After 500 years, the world's huge debt to the wisdom of the Indians of the Americas has finally been explored in all its vivid drama by anthropologist Jack Weatherford. He traces the crucial contributions made by the Indians to our federal system of government, our democratic institutions, modern medicine, agriculture, architecture, and ecology, and in this astonishing, ground-breaking book takes a giant step toward recovering a true American history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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All things Jack Weatherford
- By Robert on 06-03-10
By: Jack Weatherford
-
Girt
- The Unauthorised History of Australia, Volume 1
- By: David Hunt
- Narrated by: David Hunt
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 247
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 219
Girt. No word could better capture the essence of Australia.... In this hilarious history, David Hunt reveals the truth of Australia's past, from megafauna to Macquarie - the cock-ups and curiosities, the forgotten eccentrics and Eureka moments that have made us who we are. Girt introduces forgotten heroes like Mary McLoghlin, transported for the crime of "felony of sock", and Trim the cat, who beat a French monkey to become the first animal to circumnavigate Australia.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Typically irreverent.
- By patricia heffernan on 12-27-15
By: David Hunt
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Away Off Shore
- Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890
- By: Nathaniel Philbrick
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 117
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 101
In his first book of history, Away Off Shore, New York Times best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick reveals the people and the stories behind what was once the whaling capital of the world. Beyond its charm, quaint local traditions, and whaling yarns, Philbrick explores the origins of Nantucket in this comprehensive history. From the English settlers who thought they were purchasing a "Native American ghost town" but actually found a fully realized society, the story of Nantucket is a truly unique chapter of American history.
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3 out of 5 stars
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There once were some (wo)men in Nantucket...
- By Darwin8u on 02-03-19
-
A Shorter History of Australia
- By: Geoffrey Blainey
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 207
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 152
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 153
After a lifetime of research and debate on Australian and international history, Geoffrey Blainey is well-placed to introduce us to the people who have played a part and to guide us through the events which have created the Australian identity: the mania for spectator sport, the suspicion of the tall poppy, the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands, the conflicts of war abroad and race at home, the importance of technology, the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Just couldn't stand the paternalism
- By Matthew on 04-02-14
By: Geoffrey Blainey
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Jungle of Stone
- The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya
- By: William Carlsen
- Narrated by: Paul Michael Garcia
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 617
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 550
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 553
In 1839 rumors of extraordinary yet baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world's most intrepid travelers. Seized by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood sailed together out of New York Harbor on an expedition into the forbidding rainforests of present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. What they found would rewrite the West's understanding of human history.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Unsung Explorers at the Heart of History
- By thomas on 01-10-17
By: William Carlsen
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The Island at the Center of the World
- The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Russell Shorto
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 540
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 471
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Story5 out of 5 stars 468
In a landmark work of history, Russell Shorto presents astonishing information on the founding of our nation and reveals in riveting detail the crucial role of the Dutch in making America what it is today.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Incomplete history, but fun. Performance is poor.
- By Matthew on 11-27-18
By: Russell Shorto
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Founding Gardeners
- The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation
- By: Andrea Wulf
- Narrated by: Antonia Bath
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 204
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 170
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 167
From the author of the acclaimed The Brother Gardeners, a fascinating look at the founding fathers from the unique and intimate perspective of their lives as gardeners, plantsmen, and farmers. For the founding fathers, gardening, agriculture, and botany were elemental passions, as deeply ingrained in their characters as their belief in liberty for the nation they were creating. These stories reveal a guiding but previously overlooked ideology of the American Revolution.
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5 out of 5 stars
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"Outstanding Listen"
- By C. on 05-06-11
By: Andrea Wulf
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Into Africa
- The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
- By: Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,317
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,743
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,735
"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" So goes the signature introduction of New York Herald star journalist Henry Morton Stanley to renowned explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who had been missing for six years in the wilds of Africa. Into Africa ushers us into the meeting of these remarkable men. In 1866, when Livingstone journeyed into the heart of the African continent in search of the Nile's source, the land was rough, unknown to Europeans, and inhabited by man-eating tribes.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Riveting
- By Gene on 04-01-04
By: Martin Dugard
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What listeners say about For All the Tea in China
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Margaret
- 04-05-10
classic time in horticultural exploration
The author provides a fine window into a wonderful time in horticultural exploration at the same time that she provides cultural and political contexts. I found the book fascinating. Unfortunately, I thought the author should not have narrated the book. While her narration is professional, I do not feel it suited the story.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- CJF
- 05-10-10
informative
Very interesting. Really dragged after the adventuring botanist made it out of China, but enlightening just the same.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bradford C Rowland
- 09-03-12
History at its most intriguing and unbelieveable
If you like spy novels, or industrial espionage, or discussion of important historical turning points you will love this book. Sarah Rose blended these aspects of her story perfectly and I could not stop listening. The story was so good I have been recommending it to my friends who usually stick with fiction because they have never been able to get into history with its often dry recitation of dates and un-relatable characters. I've gotten two thank you's from friends who decided to give it a try and were just as amazed as I was. This type of book is rare and I hope like heck I can find others like it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MG
- 01-01-12
Interesting intersection of topics
What did you love best about For All the Tea in China?
This book is an interesting history of tea, sailing, exploring, terraria, the Orient, England, India, politics, gardening, and the beginnings of international commerce. I enjoyed reading it. The author as narrator perhaps wasn't the best, but I didn't find her tone distracting.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- "unknown"
- 04-30-10
A fascinating story which ended too soon
This was the best audiobook I've listened to! Mr Susskind assumes very little physics knowledge but still manages to not talk down to the listener and clearly explain complex concepts. In addition, he has many fascinating, illuminating stories about many of the great luminaries of the physics world, from drinking a beer with Feynman in a small bar in NYC in the 1960s to touring San Francisco's steep hills with Stephen Hawking. This was a great audiobook!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ellen
- 04-27-11
Delightful!
I love micro histories about odd bits of the world. This one is a delight. It's full of a great deal of information about tea, British imperialism, China, India and that point in time. All in all, it's an interestingly drawn picture.
The author is not a great narrator, but she really didn't get in the way of her story. I found it a treat.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- j diver
- 05-17-16
Was what I was looking for!
Very interesting if you like the topic! There are a few points where she runs off topic but otherwise I really enjoyed it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jessica Miller
- 12-08-18
Grossly Racist
it's an engaging story, but told in a grossly racist way. There's clear minimization of the effects of British imperialism on it's victims, and a basic approval of how that evil shaped the modern world. she's a good narrator, and it's a good story, but absolutely culturally tone deaf.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 05-29-18
everything you wanted to know bout history and tea
everything you wanted to know about history and tea ...the history will indeed surprise you
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JKJ
- 09-10-23
Fascinating history but hard on the ears
I loved this book. As a tea drinker and someone who loves history books, I found it absolutely fascinating. It is thoroughly researched and very well written.
However, as many other people have noted, the author does a very poor job of narration. I would certainly read other books by her, but I would not listen if she reads them.
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