Sino-French Trade at Canton, 1698–1842

Sino-French Trade at Canton, 1698–1842 PDF Author: Susan E. Schopp
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888528505
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
Sino-French Trade at Canton, 1698–1842 presents a rare and lively view of the French experience at Canton, and calls for a reappraisal of France’s role in that trade. France was one of the two most important Western powers in the eighteenth century, and was home to one of the three major European East India companies. Yet the nation is woefully underrepresented in Canton trade scholarship. Susan E. Schopp rescues the French from the sidelines, showing that they exerted a presence that, though closely watched by their rivals, is today largely unrecognized. Their contributions were diverse, ranging from finding new sea routes to inspiring the renovation of hong façades. Consequently, to ignore the French, or to dismiss them as simply “also-rans,” results in a skewed perception of the Canton system. Schopp also demonstrates that while the most distinctive aspect of the French model of company trade was the dominant role of the state—indeed, the French East India Company has been memorably described as a “Versailles of trade”—this did not rule out a place for legitimate, and sometimes surprising, participation by the private sector. On the contrary: France’s commercial relations with China were inaugurated by private traders, and the popularity of the Canton trade spurred the eventual demise of the company model. Backed up by extensive archival work, Schopp’s work demonstrates a remarkable understanding of the Sino-European trade, and her book reveals an unparalleled passion for the role of seamanship in history. “It is shocking how little has been written in any language about French trade in China, so this excellent book fills a tremendous need. It has the potential to become a classic monograph of lasting significance: an outstanding work that will make a strong imprint on the historiography.” —Tonio Andrade, Emory University “Schopp’s valuable study shows that the French ought not to be considered ‘also-rans’ in European trade with China. The French way was, in fact, a ‘distinctive model’ of European trade with China, one different from that of the better-known English East India Company. The author’s comprehensive research takes the reader into the material history of the French trading vessels, the hong, and the personnel involved in the trade.” —Robert Aldrich, University of Sydney

Sino-French Trade at Canton, 1698–1842

Sino-French Trade at Canton, 1698–1842 PDF Author: Susan E. Schopp
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888528505
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
Sino-French Trade at Canton, 1698–1842 presents a rare and lively view of the French experience at Canton, and calls for a reappraisal of France’s role in that trade. France was one of the two most important Western powers in the eighteenth century, and was home to one of the three major European East India companies. Yet the nation is woefully underrepresented in Canton trade scholarship. Susan E. Schopp rescues the French from the sidelines, showing that they exerted a presence that, though closely watched by their rivals, is today largely unrecognized. Their contributions were diverse, ranging from finding new sea routes to inspiring the renovation of hong façades. Consequently, to ignore the French, or to dismiss them as simply “also-rans,” results in a skewed perception of the Canton system. Schopp also demonstrates that while the most distinctive aspect of the French model of company trade was the dominant role of the state—indeed, the French East India Company has been memorably described as a “Versailles of trade”—this did not rule out a place for legitimate, and sometimes surprising, participation by the private sector. On the contrary: France’s commercial relations with China were inaugurated by private traders, and the popularity of the Canton trade spurred the eventual demise of the company model. Backed up by extensive archival work, Schopp’s work demonstrates a remarkable understanding of the Sino-European trade, and her book reveals an unparalleled passion for the role of seamanship in history. “It is shocking how little has been written in any language about French trade in China, so this excellent book fills a tremendous need. It has the potential to become a classic monograph of lasting significance: an outstanding work that will make a strong imprint on the historiography.” —Tonio Andrade, Emory University “Schopp’s valuable study shows that the French ought not to be considered ‘also-rans’ in European trade with China. The French way was, in fact, a ‘distinctive model’ of European trade with China, one different from that of the better-known English East India Company. The author’s comprehensive research takes the reader into the material history of the French trading vessels, the hong, and the personnel involved in the trade.” —Robert Aldrich, University of Sydney

Britain and the China Trade 1635-1842

Britain and the China Trade 1635-1842 PDF Author: Patrick J. N. Tuck
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9780415190039
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description


The Private Side of the Canton Trade, 1700–1840

The Private Side of the Canton Trade, 1700–1840 PDF Author: Paul A. Van Dyke
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888390937
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
It is not often recognized that China was one of the few places in the early modern world where all merchants had equal access to the market. This study shows that private traders, regardless of the volume of their trade, were granted the same privileges in Canton as the large East India companies. All of these companies relied, to some extent, on private capital to finance their operations. Without the investments from individuals, the trade with China would have been greatly hindered. Competitors, large and small, traded alongside each other while enemies traded alongside enemies. Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Parsees, Armenians, Hindus, and others lived and worked within the small area in the western suburbs of Canton designated for foreigners. Cantonese shopkeepers were not allowed to discriminate against any foreign traders. In fact, the shopkeepers were generally working in a competitive environment, providing customer-oriented service that generated goodwill, friendship, and trust. These contributed to the growth of the trade as a whole. While many private traders were involved in smuggling opium, others, such as Nathan Dunn, were much opposed to it. The case studies in this volume demonstrate that fortunes could be made in China by trading in legitimate items just as successfully as in illegitimate ones, which tellingly suggests that the rapid spread of opium smuggling in China could be a result of inadequate, rather than excessive, regulation by the Qing government. ‘For this absorbing book, Van Dyke and Schopp have convened excellent scholars, junior and senior, to throw new light on the foreign merchants outside the East India companies who shaped China’s engagement with the world at least as much as the companies’ men did, if not more. The slumbering field of foreign trade in Qing China has come back to life.’ —Timothy Brook, University of British Columbia ‘Much scholarship on the China trade has focused on the activities of the vast state-sponsored companies. This book flips the script. Now we know that, right under the noses of those economic behemoths, smaller private traders from Europe, America, and China were quietly reshaping the trade with their innovation, networking, grit, and dreams.’ —John R. Haddad, The Pennsylvania State University

Whampoa and the Canton Trade

Whampoa and the Canton Trade PDF Author: Paul Arthur Van Dyke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789882209893
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
Paul A. Van Dyke's new book, Whampoa and the Canton Trade: Life and Death in a Chinese Port, 1700-1842, authoritatively corrects misconceptions about how the Qing government treated foreigners when it controlled all trade in the Guangzhou port. Van Dyke reappraises the role of Whampoa in the system--a port twenty kilometres away from Guangzhou--and reassesses the government's attitude towards foreigners, which was much more accommodating than previous research suggested. In fact, Van Dyke shows that foreigners were not bound by local laws and were given freedom of movement around Whampoa and Canton to the extent that they were treated with leniency even when found in off-limit places. Whampoa and the Canton Trade recounts the lives of seamen who travelled half-way around the globe at great risk and lived through a historic period that would become the framework for subsequent encounters between China and the rest of the world. Were it not for the exchanges between the major powers and the Qing empire, the world--as we know it--would be a rather different place. Hence, Van Dyke's command of data mining shows that Whampoa was a key pillar in the Canton System and, thus, in the making of the modern world economy.

Whampoa and the Canton Trade

Whampoa and the Canton Trade PDF Author: Paul A. Van Dyke
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888528351
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
Paul A. Van Dyke’s new book, Whampoa and the Canton Trade: Life and Death in a Chinese Port, 1700–1842, authoritatively corrects misconceptions about how the Qing government treated foreigners when it controlled all trade in the Guangzhou port. Van Dyke reappraises the role of Whampoa in the system—a port twenty kilometres away from Guangzhou—and reassesses the government’s attitude towards foreigners, which was much more accommodating than previous research suggested. In fact, Van Dyke shows that foreigners were not bound by local laws and were given freedom of movement around Whampoa and Canton to the extent that they were treated with leniency even when found in off-limit places. Whampoa and the Canton Trade recounts the lives of seamen who travelled half-way around the globe at great risk and lived through a historic period that would become the framework for subsequent encounters between China and the rest of the world. Were it not for the exchanges between the major powers and the Qing empire, the world—as we know it—would be a rather different place. Hence, Van Dyke’s command of data mining shows that Whampoa was a key pillar in the Canton System and, thus, in the making of the modern world economy. ‘Paul Van Dyke has transformed our understanding of the Canton trade. In this book, he brings his enormous knowledge of the primary sources to this study of Whampoa, the anchorage on the Pearl River used by all foreign ships when that trade was confined to the port of Canton, presenting “a view of the trade from the common seaman’s perspective.”’ —Evelyn S. Rawski, University of Pittsburgh ‘Paul A. Van Dyke wonderfully brings to life the drudgery and danger faced by the diverse men who worked the ships of the Canton trade. He skilfully fashions vivid images of the texture of their lives from danger to boredom, from illnesses and accidents to drinking and whoring.’ —R. Bin Wong, UCLA

A Journal of the First French Embassy to China, 1698-1700

A Journal of the First French Embassy to China, 1698-1700 PDF Author: Saxe Bannister
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3382311925
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 418

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Book Description


Merchants of Canton and Macao

Merchants of Canton and Macao PDF Author: Paul A. Van Dyke
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888139320
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 532

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Book Description
Merchants were central to the huge growth in China’s foreign trade and contributed to the development of world markets and networks. Merchants of Canton and Macao: Success and Failure in Eighteenth-Century Chinese Trade brings together much new research about the inner workings of the merchants of Canton and Macao. The book studies in detail the leading Chinese merchants and merchant families as well as the porcelain and silk trades. By examining the successes and failures of dozens of Chinese merchants involved in foreign trade, it provides fresh insights into China’s unique form of capitalism and her role in the rise of global commerce. Van Dyke’s conclusions on the nature of Qing policy towards foreign trade are bold, original and supported by intensive research. In contrast to the traditional focus on British and American trade, his research draws on archives in multiple languages, spread around the world. ‘Like its predecessor, this volume offers a detailed and vivid reconstruction of business practices based on a remarkable collection of archival sources in Chinese and diverse European languages. It will be especially welcome by economic historians as well as anyone who wants to understand global history as it played out in a particular place.’ —R. Bin Wong, Distinguished Professor of History and director of the Asia Institute, UCLA ‘Once again Paul Van Dyke has plumbed the depths of the archives to provide us with an extraordinary catalogue of the activities of European and Chinese traders during the heyday of the Canton trade. In this second volume of his encyclopedic study, Van Dyke focuses in detail on the transactions that took place between foreign private and company traders and Chinese licensed merchants.’ —Madeleine Zelin, Dean Lung Professor of Chinese Studies, Columbia University ‘This is a great study which will be the ultimate work on the subject for many years to come. It is as complete as the available documentation at present makes possible; it is concise, well organized and the subject is researched with great thoroughness.’ —Christiaan Jörg, author of Porcelain and the Dutch China Trade

Merchants of Canton and Macao

Merchants of Canton and Macao PDF Author: Paul A. Van Dyke
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 988802891X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 674

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Book Description
Paul Van Dyke works in many languages and archives to uncover the history of Peark River trade. This two-volume work is likely to be the most definitive reference work on the major trading families of Guangzhou. Organized as a series of family studies, this first volume includes exhaustive profiles of nine of the dominant hongs and their founding patriarchs for which good information survives: Tan Suqua, Tan Hunqua, Cai and Qiu, Beaukeequa, Yan, Mandarin Quiqua, Ye and Tacqua Amoy, Zhang, and Liang.

The Old China Trade

The Old China Trade PDF Author: Francis Ross Carpenter
Publisher: New York : Coward, McCann & Geoghegan
ISBN:
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
A history of the trade between the United States and China, begun in 1784, which affected this country in many ways, including culturally, industrially, and territorially.

Company Politics

Company Politics PDF Author: Cross
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197653758
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
In the wake of the Seven Years' War and the consolidation of British power on the subcontinent, the French monarchy chartered a new East India Company. The Nouvelle Compagnie des Indes was an attempt to maintain French diplomatic and financial credit among European rivals and trading partners within a region integral to the broader imperial economy. Reimagining French power as subsisting through an informal empire of trade, instead of a territorial empire of conquest, officials and intellectuals sought to remake the trading company as a private, "purely commercial" actor, rather than a sovereign company-state. Company Politics offers a new interpretation of political economy, imperialism, and the history of the corporation during the late Old Regime and the French Revolution. Despite its reputation for speculation, corruption, and scandal, Elizabeth Cross argues that the "New Company" emerged from the unique circumstances France faced in India as a weakened imperial power vis à vis the expanding British East India Company. Seeking to control the Company for their own purposes, French government officials, theorists, and private financial actors clashed over differing notions of political economy, debt, and imperial power for Europe and the Indian Ocean world. In doing so, they envisioned new alignments between state and market, challenged the legitimacy of the Old Regime's economic and imperial policies, and sought to revolutionize the underlying corporation itself through progressive demands of corporate self-governance. Thus, the New Company should be seen as an innovative capitalist actor in its own right, not a mere derivative of its Anglo-Dutch competitors. A valuable contribution to scholarship on capitalism, empire, and globalization, Company Politics uses the Company's history to present the Revolutionary Era as one of dynamic economic ideologies, practices, and experimentation, rather than only one of crisis and decline.