America’s Role
• The Napoleonic Wars left the U.S. as Britain’s principal maritime trade competitor in Asia. • British trade was conducted under the umbrella of the East India Company. U.S. vessels were on their own. • U.S. trade was less than half that of Britain, but both dealt in Opium. The U.S. traded Turkish and Persian Opium. The Sea Witch China Tea Clipper.
Conflicting Views
• By the 19th Century, advances in European science and industry had led to great improvements in ship building and armament. Science was disdained by Chinese scholar officials due to its association with Daoism. • The Napoleonic Wars left the British East India Company without serious competition in Asia. The British had conquered India and thought China would fall as easily. • The Chinese thought the British were western maritime barbarians.
Conflicting Views (Cont’d)
• The Qing Dynasty feared that contact with foreigners could spark discontent and rebellion. The British demanded direct diplomatic & counselor representation and unfettered trade. • There was a great demand for things Chinese, porcelains, silk and especially tea. Qianlong asserted that China was self-sufficient and didn’t need trade, although it hardly minded profiting. • The balance of trade was heavily in favor the Chinese. The difference had to be made up in Silver.
Opium
• Opium was seen by the East India Company as the answer to the trade imbalance. It was a high value item which the company could grow in India. • Opium had been traded in small quantities since 900. In the 16th Century, trade became significant and by 1782, it was a major import item. • The Chinese prohibited the importation of opium in 1729, but enforcement was lax. Smuggling was facilitated by bribery. • By 1805, opium had reversed the trade imbalance. The surplus was 4 ½ million taels of Silver.
China and Japan
Part V, Qing, China thru the Meiji Restoration, Japan
Gov/Hist 352 Campbell University
Canton System
Emperor Qianlong restricted foreign trade to the factory (warehouse) district of Canton. Trade was limited to a chartered group of 7 or 8 Chinese merchants, called the Cohong, who were granted a monopoly on foreign trade.
Attempts at Diplomacy
• Canton System was odious to the British and other trading countries. The British sent three embassies to Peking in an effort to negotiate changes:
– Charles Cathcart (1787) – George Macartney (1792-3) – Lord Amherst (1816)
• All attempts to achieve diplomatic contact were rejected. A fourth attempt834. He died without ever being permitted to deliver his credentials.