I saw this film a few years ago when they were showing a "director's
cut" and me and the people I was with felt sort of the same way. It
didn't outrage me, but it did seem sort of strange and condescending
in that it seemed to take the view that Hoffman was this crusader for
everything that was right and that the Chinese and everyone else
seemed almost to be obstacles to his righteous goals. No one making
the film, including its subject, seemed to speak Chinese or make any
effort to present any objective information on why the Chinese tea
industry is the way it is. At least that is how I remember feeling
after watching the film some years ago. I kept going back and forth as
to why I felt a little put off by the film, but maybe you are right in
that it seemed sort of like Hoffman was this ugly American marching
around China being obnoxious.

Interested to hear others' thoughts as well.

cha bing