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month in her youth. Men usually did the trip to town, not the women and girls.
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3. The Mountain Begonia (Tsz Pooi Tin Kwai) and tea prepared from it (KCI)
To most people in urban Hong Kong, tea or "cha” refers either to the drink they take with "dim sum” in the restaurants, or the sugar and milk tea they consume daily in the office or at home. However, to the native inhabitants of the rural New Territories, especially the older generation, it means much more. The term can refer to drinks made from a great variety of wild plants. Of these, one of the better known is "Tsz Pooi Tin Kwai" (*9X*).
"Tsz Pooi Tin Kwai" (Begonia fimbristipula) is a small perennial herbaceous plant which grows in damp ravines or on mountain cliffs. It is a close relative of the Begonia cultivated in gardens, though smaller in size. Its fleshy stem usually grows beneath the soil and the above-ground portion of the plant consists of only one or two large leaves. These are hairy, heart-shaped, 3.5-7 mm in diameter, green on the surface and purple underneath. From the latter feature of the plant is derived part of its name - "Tsz Pooi" or “Purple Back”. The second part “Tin Kwai” means literally "Begonia growing up in the sky". Its English name, Mountain Begonia also reflects the appearance and habitat of the plant.
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The plant blooms in the summer and the flowers are light reddish in colour and similar in shape to those of the cultivated Begonia. Its triangular fruit has three "wings" which assist its dispersal. Each fruit contains a large number of seeds.
The plant has many medicinal properties, being antipyretic, antitussive, and effective in blood purification, and the dispelling of stagnant blood, and in reducing swellings. It is therefore used by herbalists for the relief of fever and heat stroke, pneumonia, coughs and stomach-ache. It is also used for external treatment of sprains, fractures, burns and scalds; for those purposes, the fresh herbs are macerated for topical application.
In Hong Kong, "Tsz Pooi Tin Kwai" is found only in the area