Paul French
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622099821
- eISBN:
- 9789882207622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622099821.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The birth of foreign newspapers and a foreign press corps in China really begins in the small enclave of Canton, the city now known as Guangzhou, in what were called the Factories, the somewhat ...
More
The birth of foreign newspapers and a foreign press corps in China really begins in the small enclave of Canton, the city now known as Guangzhou, in what were called the Factories, the somewhat fortified and mostly self-sufficient warehouses where a select group of foreigners was begrudgingly permitted to trade by the Qing dynasty. God, Mammon, and flag are the primary interests in the very earliest newspapers and journals. The roots of the foreign press are revealed in opium. The nineteenth century British-dominated “mud trade”, based on opium as a narcotic smoked for pleasure or relaxation rather than medicinal purposes, was already over fifty years old by the time the first English-language newspapers appeared in China, coincidentally sponsored by the largest suppliers. The circumspect voice of the missionaries is described. The chapter also addresses the Napier fizzle and the First Opium War. It is shown that Hong Kong is a colony in need of a press.Less
The birth of foreign newspapers and a foreign press corps in China really begins in the small enclave of Canton, the city now known as Guangzhou, in what were called the Factories, the somewhat fortified and mostly self-sufficient warehouses where a select group of foreigners was begrudgingly permitted to trade by the Qing dynasty. God, Mammon, and flag are the primary interests in the very earliest newspapers and journals. The roots of the foreign press are revealed in opium. The nineteenth century British-dominated “mud trade”, based on opium as a narcotic smoked for pleasure or relaxation rather than medicinal purposes, was already over fifty years old by the time the first English-language newspapers appeared in China, coincidentally sponsored by the largest suppliers. The circumspect voice of the missionaries is described. The chapter also addresses the Napier fizzle and the First Opium War. It is shown that Hong Kong is a colony in need of a press.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chapter 3 explains the growth of the opium trade and the business operations that flourished along with it. International credit was one of operations that prospered, and this in turn benefitted ...
More
Chapter 3 explains the growth of the opium trade and the business operations that flourished along with it. International credit was one of operations that prospered, and this in turn benefitted trade outside of China. The first edict against opium appeared in 1729 and by 1837, mandarin vigilance increased markedly and at the end of 1838, the emperor despatched Lin Tse-hsü to end the opium traffic. By stopping trade and demanding the surrender of all opium aboard storeships, he achieved his goal but led to the war with the British in November 1839. The war ended with China's defeat and the signing of the treaty of Nanking. Although the Americans were sympathetic toward the Chinese, they welcomed the opportunities presented by the treaty and clamoured for equal treatment.Less
Chapter 3 explains the growth of the opium trade and the business operations that flourished along with it. International credit was one of operations that prospered, and this in turn benefitted trade outside of China. The first edict against opium appeared in 1729 and by 1837, mandarin vigilance increased markedly and at the end of 1838, the emperor despatched Lin Tse-hsü to end the opium traffic. By stopping trade and demanding the surrender of all opium aboard storeships, he achieved his goal but led to the war with the British in November 1839. The war ended with China's defeat and the signing of the treaty of Nanking. Although the Americans were sympathetic toward the Chinese, they welcomed the opportunities presented by the treaty and clamoured for equal treatment.
Law Wing Sang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622099296
- eISBN:
- 9789882206755
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622099296.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter focuses on the emergent formation of collaborative colonialism in the early colonial era: from the First Opium War (1840–1842) to the 1911 Republican Revolution. It notes that long ...
More
This chapter focuses on the emergent formation of collaborative colonialism in the early colonial era: from the First Opium War (1840–1842) to the 1911 Republican Revolution. It notes that long before the Opium Wars, many coastal Chinese were already in close contact with Europeans as a result of the latter's trading in commodities such as tea, porcelain, silk, and foodstuffs. With commercial activities manifest in the coastal Chinese regional networks, in Southeast Asian economies, and in the European dominated New World, a class of elite transnationals arose around Hong Kong and exercised considerable economic clout. It notes that the overall effect of nineteenth-century European colonial expansion in the region was the inclusion of Chinese merchants in the newly arisen global networks; yet the dependence of the Europeans on the Chinese also helped boost the ability of some Chinese merchants to dominate intra-Asian trade, including trade with China.Less
This chapter focuses on the emergent formation of collaborative colonialism in the early colonial era: from the First Opium War (1840–1842) to the 1911 Republican Revolution. It notes that long before the Opium Wars, many coastal Chinese were already in close contact with Europeans as a result of the latter's trading in commodities such as tea, porcelain, silk, and foodstuffs. With commercial activities manifest in the coastal Chinese regional networks, in Southeast Asian economies, and in the European dominated New World, a class of elite transnationals arose around Hong Kong and exercised considerable economic clout. It notes that the overall effect of nineteenth-century European colonial expansion in the region was the inclusion of Chinese merchants in the newly arisen global networks; yet the dependence of the Europeans on the Chinese also helped boost the ability of some Chinese merchants to dominate intra-Asian trade, including trade with China.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chapter 7 relates the events that led up to the Cushing mission. The issue of opium trading was a matter of contention between the traders, the missionaries and the Americans at home. The stance ...
More
Chapter 7 relates the events that led up to the Cushing mission. The issue of opium trading was a matter of contention between the traders, the missionaries and the Americans at home. The stance taken by the American public opinion prevailed in active suppression of the opium trade, however, the Cushing mission was to return American policy to the anomalous status it had had in the years before the Opium War. Request for advice on the Cushing mission has been sent to residents in Canton, and a majority of them were Opium traders. This chapter also details the objectives of the Cushing Mission, such as fixed tariffs on trade in the treaty ports, the right to buy land and erect churches, the right to learn Chinese, the most-favored-nation status, and extraterritoriality.Less
Chapter 7 relates the events that led up to the Cushing mission. The issue of opium trading was a matter of contention between the traders, the missionaries and the Americans at home. The stance taken by the American public opinion prevailed in active suppression of the opium trade, however, the Cushing mission was to return American policy to the anomalous status it had had in the years before the Opium War. Request for advice on the Cushing mission has been sent to residents in Canton, and a majority of them were Opium traders. This chapter also details the objectives of the Cushing Mission, such as fixed tariffs on trade in the treaty ports, the right to buy land and erect churches, the right to learn Chinese, the most-favored-nation status, and extraterritoriality.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The first chapter gives an overview of the lives American merchants led when they were in Macao and Canton. It describes the regulations that govern them when they arrive and depart and the lives of ...
More
The first chapter gives an overview of the lives American merchants led when they were in Macao and Canton. It describes the regulations that govern them when they arrive and depart and the lives of luxury in the secluded factories. There were disputes among the firms that disrupted the calm, and some companies disapproved the opium trade that others were engaging in. The Americans were also appalled at the brutality of the Chinese justice system and the state of poverty that the Chinese of lower classes were living in.Less
The first chapter gives an overview of the lives American merchants led when they were in Macao and Canton. It describes the regulations that govern them when they arrive and depart and the lives of luxury in the secluded factories. There were disputes among the firms that disrupted the calm, and some companies disapproved the opium trade that others were engaging in. The Americans were also appalled at the brutality of the Chinese justice system and the state of poverty that the Chinese of lower classes were living in.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chapter 2 describes how American merchants conduct their business under the Old system. The most profitable trade were tea and silk. Foreign merchants were regulated by the Canton System and their ...
More
Chapter 2 describes how American merchants conduct their business under the Old system. The most profitable trade were tea and silk. Foreign merchants were regulated by the Canton System and their “Eight Regulations”. While most merchants found this a flawed system, they also considered it convenient. Although the Chinese laws forbid the commercial operations, some merchants made substantial fortunes in China through a number of subsidiary businesses, such as money lending, speculation and renting property.Less
Chapter 2 describes how American merchants conduct their business under the Old system. The most profitable trade were tea and silk. Foreign merchants were regulated by the Canton System and their “Eight Regulations”. While most merchants found this a flawed system, they also considered it convenient. Although the Chinese laws forbid the commercial operations, some merchants made substantial fortunes in China through a number of subsidiary businesses, such as money lending, speculation and renting property.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chapter 4 explains the rise of the firms of influence in China. One of the most remarkable figures was Cushing who made his firm Perkins & Co prosper. A major reason for his successes was with his ...
More
Chapter 4 explains the rise of the firms of influence in China. One of the most remarkable figures was Cushing who made his firm Perkins & Co prosper. A major reason for his successes was with his association with Howqua, the wealthiest Chinese trader. Other important firms include Russell and Co, a commission house that later absorbed Perkins & Co. It weathered numerous crises and faced challenges both from within the firm and politics from the outside, but until the end of the era, it remained the largest and strongest American house in China, and its businesses only came to a close in 1891.Less
Chapter 4 explains the rise of the firms of influence in China. One of the most remarkable figures was Cushing who made his firm Perkins & Co prosper. A major reason for his successes was with his association with Howqua, the wealthiest Chinese trader. Other important firms include Russell and Co, a commission house that later absorbed Perkins & Co. It weathered numerous crises and faced challenges both from within the firm and politics from the outside, but until the end of the era, it remained the largest and strongest American house in China, and its businesses only came to a close in 1891.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chapter 6 explains the life of the China trader, how they were admitted into the firms, their road to promotion as partner to how they spend their time after they left China. The traders often come ...
More
Chapter 6 explains the life of the China trader, how they were admitted into the firms, their road to promotion as partner to how they spend their time after they left China. The traders often come from respectable but comparatively deprived backgrounds with good education. Those without connections could join a firm via becoming a seaman and learn his trade while on deck. The ties between the merchants were kinship, friendship and connections to a firm formed in the counting house. After a few years a clerk might be promoted to a supercargo and then to partnership. The traders that return to America rich would carry on trading as sedentary traders, join the board of directors of companies in new industries or retire completely. With their wealth, they became influential in Washington as well as in their state and local governments.Less
Chapter 6 explains the life of the China trader, how they were admitted into the firms, their road to promotion as partner to how they spend their time after they left China. The traders often come from respectable but comparatively deprived backgrounds with good education. Those without connections could join a firm via becoming a seaman and learn his trade while on deck. The ties between the merchants were kinship, friendship and connections to a firm formed in the counting house. After a few years a clerk might be promoted to a supercargo and then to partnership. The traders that return to America rich would carry on trading as sedentary traders, join the board of directors of companies in new industries or retire completely. With their wealth, they became influential in Washington as well as in their state and local governments.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The name of the junk might have brought out the differences in perception of the Chinese and the British, and laid the first seeds of dissension. Before becoming the Keying, the Junk could have had ...
More
The name of the junk might have brought out the differences in perception of the Chinese and the British, and laid the first seeds of dissension. Before becoming the Keying, the Junk could have had another name. No record showed that the British owners had considered the sensibilities of the Chinese crew when they renamed the junk. The name Keying also embodied the divide in fundamental ways in seeing things. The British saw Qiying as the symbol of improvement in post-First Opium War Sino-British relations, but the mandarin was much less popular with the Cantonese.Less
The name of the junk might have brought out the differences in perception of the Chinese and the British, and laid the first seeds of dissension. Before becoming the Keying, the Junk could have had another name. No record showed that the British owners had considered the sensibilities of the Chinese crew when they renamed the junk. The name Keying also embodied the divide in fundamental ways in seeing things. The British saw Qiying as the symbol of improvement in post-First Opium War Sino-British relations, but the mandarin was much less popular with the Cantonese.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The Keying was undertaken by a group of Hong Kong investors. Their aim was to sail the junk from Hong Kong to London, where it would be put on public display, along with the collection of Chinese ...
More
The Keying was undertaken by a group of Hong Kong investors. Their aim was to sail the junk from Hong Kong to London, where it would be put on public display, along with the collection of Chinese artefacts that it carried, and earn the investors a handsome return. This was possibly an attempt to cash in on enthusiasm in London for‘things Chinese’, fomented by Nathan Dunn’s exhibition. Yet the Keying enterprise serve as a commentary on the backward culture of China, and the junk itself demonstrate the peculiarities of Chinese naval architecture. In the mid-1840s, part of the British public perceived the First Opium War as a disgrace, the Keying enterprise could be seen as an attempt to‘redress’ this perception.Less
The Keying was undertaken by a group of Hong Kong investors. Their aim was to sail the junk from Hong Kong to London, where it would be put on public display, along with the collection of Chinese artefacts that it carried, and earn the investors a handsome return. This was possibly an attempt to cash in on enthusiasm in London for‘things Chinese’, fomented by Nathan Dunn’s exhibition. Yet the Keying enterprise serve as a commentary on the backward culture of China, and the junk itself demonstrate the peculiarities of Chinese naval architecture. In the mid-1840s, part of the British public perceived the First Opium War as a disgrace, the Keying enterprise could be seen as an attempt to‘redress’ this perception.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Before the opening of the treaty ports in the 1840s, Canton was the only Chinese port where foreign merchants were allowed to trade.The Golden Ghetto takes us into the world of one of this city's ...
More
Before the opening of the treaty ports in the 1840s, Canton was the only Chinese port where foreign merchants were allowed to trade.The Golden Ghetto takes us into the world of one of this city's most important foreign communities—the Americans—during the decades between the American Revolution of 1776 and the signing of the Sino-US Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. American merchants lived in isolation from Chinese society in sybaritic, albeit usually celibate luxury. Making use of exhaustive research, Downs provides an especially clear explanation of the Canton commercial setting generally and of the role of American merchants. Many of these men made fortunes and returned home to become important figures in the rapidly developing United States. The book devotes particular attention to the biographical details of the principal American traders, the leading American firms, and their operations in Canton and the United States. Opium smuggling receives especial emphasis, as does the important topic of early diplomatic relations between the United States and China. Since its first publication in 1997,The Golden Ghetto has been recognized as the leading work on Americans trading at Canton. Long out of print, this new edition makes this key work again available, both to scholars and a wider readership.Less
Before the opening of the treaty ports in the 1840s, Canton was the only Chinese port where foreign merchants were allowed to trade.The Golden Ghetto takes us into the world of one of this city's most important foreign communities—the Americans—during the decades between the American Revolution of 1776 and the signing of the Sino-US Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. American merchants lived in isolation from Chinese society in sybaritic, albeit usually celibate luxury. Making use of exhaustive research, Downs provides an especially clear explanation of the Canton commercial setting generally and of the role of American merchants. Many of these men made fortunes and returned home to become important figures in the rapidly developing United States. The book devotes particular attention to the biographical details of the principal American traders, the leading American firms, and their operations in Canton and the United States. Opium smuggling receives especial emphasis, as does the important topic of early diplomatic relations between the United States and China. Since its first publication in 1997,The Golden Ghetto has been recognized as the leading work on Americans trading at Canton. Long out of print, this new edition makes this key work again available, both to scholars and a wider readership.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Chapter 5 is on the smaller firms that operated in Canton. The firms mentioned include: Russell Sturgis & Co., Augustine Heard & Co., Olyphant & Co. and Wetmore & Co. The former were absorbed by ...
More
Chapter 5 is on the smaller firms that operated in Canton. The firms mentioned include: Russell Sturgis & Co., Augustine Heard & Co., Olyphant & Co. and Wetmore & Co. The former were absorbed by Russell & Co. and Jardine Matheson respectively. Olyphant & Co. underwritten the American Protestant China Mission and refused to take part in the opium trade while Wetmore & Co has roots as an all-Quaker concern, and stayed out of the drug trade except between 1838-39. All of them started as family firms and the principle of continuity was invariably kinship and traditional business customs and loyalties were retained. It was probably not until industrialism had altered the basic needs of business organizations that more radical ideas made much headway against the habits of centuries.Less
Chapter 5 is on the smaller firms that operated in Canton. The firms mentioned include: Russell Sturgis & Co., Augustine Heard & Co., Olyphant & Co. and Wetmore & Co. The former were absorbed by Russell & Co. and Jardine Matheson respectively. Olyphant & Co. underwritten the American Protestant China Mission and refused to take part in the opium trade while Wetmore & Co has roots as an all-Quaker concern, and stayed out of the drug trade except between 1838-39. All of them started as family firms and the principle of continuity was invariably kinship and traditional business customs and loyalties were retained. It was probably not until industrialism had altered the basic needs of business organizations that more radical ideas made much headway against the habits of centuries.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Cushing set off in the summer of 1843 and arrived at Macao in February 1844. He spent three months there and listened to the American merchants’ suggestions regarding the commercial interest of the ...
More
Cushing set off in the summer of 1843 and arrived at Macao in February 1844. He spent three months there and listened to the American merchants’ suggestions regarding the commercial interest of the United States and China and created the projêt. Chi’ying arrived at Wanghia in June, and the treaty was signed in two weeks. The Chinese had few reservations about matters of trade or even extraterritoriality, but objected to the Americans being presented to court in Peking and refused to conclude the treaty in Wanghia. Cushing ultimately settled for the compromise that became Article XXXI. It assumes the right of the US government to communicate with the Court and specifies several possible lines of communication, so that no longer could a single provincial official block communications with Peking.Less
Cushing set off in the summer of 1843 and arrived at Macao in February 1844. He spent three months there and listened to the American merchants’ suggestions regarding the commercial interest of the United States and China and created the projêt. Chi’ying arrived at Wanghia in June, and the treaty was signed in two weeks. The Chinese had few reservations about matters of trade or even extraterritoriality, but objected to the Americans being presented to court in Peking and refused to conclude the treaty in Wanghia. Cushing ultimately settled for the compromise that became Article XXXI. It assumes the right of the US government to communicate with the Court and specifies several possible lines of communication, so that no longer could a single provincial official block communications with Peking.
Jacques M. Downs
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139095
- eISBN:
- 9789888313327
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139095.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Cushing tested the treaty, especially on the issue of extraterritoriality via the Hsu A-man case and found out how the treaty protected the Americans. The treaty was well received by both the ...
More
Cushing tested the treaty, especially on the issue of extraterritoriality via the Hsu A-man case and found out how the treaty protected the Americans. The treaty was well received by both the merchants in the smuggling trade and the missionaries. The author also comments on the Cushing treaty, from its tone, its coverage of the rights and responsibility of the American residents to extraterritoriality and his criticism on the opium trade. The author compared the Cushing treaty with the treaty of Nanking and its Supplementary Treaty, and concluded that it is far superior and more comprehensive than the British treaties.Less
Cushing tested the treaty, especially on the issue of extraterritoriality via the Hsu A-man case and found out how the treaty protected the Americans. The treaty was well received by both the merchants in the smuggling trade and the missionaries. The author also comments on the Cushing treaty, from its tone, its coverage of the rights and responsibility of the American residents to extraterritoriality and his criticism on the opium trade. The author compared the Cushing treaty with the treaty of Nanking and its Supplementary Treaty, and concluded that it is far superior and more comprehensive than the British treaties.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter explores the reasons that the Keying remained ignored. The Keying sailed to the west in a time when famous voyages were conducted and when museums were being built to house achievements ...
More
This chapter explores the reasons that the Keying remained ignored. The Keying sailed to the west in a time when famous voyages were conducted and when museums were being built to house achievements and data from great maritime explorations. The long traditions of other cultures were not considered as anything worth studying closely, and the Keying was categorized as just the foreign and exotic. One result of this neglect is that museums in the present day have no concrete data to build models by. By bringing the Keying back to the limelight, the author hopes to stimulate the interest in a little known Chinese maritime past and the world of experiences that it encompassed.Less
This chapter explores the reasons that the Keying remained ignored. The Keying sailed to the west in a time when famous voyages were conducted and when museums were being built to house achievements and data from great maritime explorations. The long traditions of other cultures were not considered as anything worth studying closely, and the Keying was categorized as just the foreign and exotic. One result of this neglect is that museums in the present day have no concrete data to build models by. By bringing the Keying back to the limelight, the author hopes to stimulate the interest in a little known Chinese maritime past and the world of experiences that it encompassed.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The Keying was put on display initially at Blackwall. Later, in 1850, it moved up to the Strand, perhaps in order to have better access to its intended audience. The move up the Thames itself was ...
More
The Keying was put on display initially at Blackwall. Later, in 1850, it moved up to the Strand, perhaps in order to have better access to its intended audience. The move up the Thames itself was remarkable, however, the silence of the newspapers showed that the feat attracted little attention. For the first year, the Keying was a star attraction, royalty and celebrities, such as Charles Dickens all visited it. However, its attraction didn’t last. In July 1851, because of the troubles caused by the crew, a judge warned that if the Keying wouldn’t leave the Strand, they would be indicted, so the junk returned to Blackwall. Charles Kellett had ceased to remain as the captain of the Keying after the junk arrived in Britain and became a business partner, earning enough to live ashore. He Sing, the mandarin, was promoted to captain and became, in a way, the representative of China.Less
The Keying was put on display initially at Blackwall. Later, in 1850, it moved up to the Strand, perhaps in order to have better access to its intended audience. The move up the Thames itself was remarkable, however, the silence of the newspapers showed that the feat attracted little attention. For the first year, the Keying was a star attraction, royalty and celebrities, such as Charles Dickens all visited it. However, its attraction didn’t last. In July 1851, because of the troubles caused by the crew, a judge warned that if the Keying wouldn’t leave the Strand, they would be indicted, so the junk returned to Blackwall. Charles Kellett had ceased to remain as the captain of the Keying after the junk arrived in Britain and became a business partner, earning enough to live ashore. He Sing, the mandarin, was promoted to captain and became, in a way, the representative of China.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
In December 1846, the Keying, a Chinese junk purchased by British investors, set sail from Hong Kong for London. Named after the Chinese Imperial Commissioner who had signed away Hong Kong to the ...
More
In December 1846, the Keying, a Chinese junk purchased by British investors, set sail from Hong Kong for London. Named after the Chinese Imperial Commissioner who had signed away Hong Kong to the British, manned by a Chinese and European crew, and carrying a travelling exhibition of Chinese items, the Keying had a troubled voyage. After quarrels on the way and a diversion to New York, culminating in a legal dispute over arrears of wages for Chinese members of the crew, it finally reached London in 1848, where it went on exhibition on the River Thames until 1853. It was then auctioned off, towed to Liverpool, and finally broken up. This book tells a story of missed opportunities, with an erratic course, overambitious aims, and achievements born of lucky breaks—a microcosm, in fact, of early Hong Kong and of the relations between China and the West.Less
In December 1846, the Keying, a Chinese junk purchased by British investors, set sail from Hong Kong for London. Named after the Chinese Imperial Commissioner who had signed away Hong Kong to the British, manned by a Chinese and European crew, and carrying a travelling exhibition of Chinese items, the Keying had a troubled voyage. After quarrels on the way and a diversion to New York, culminating in a legal dispute over arrears of wages for Chinese members of the crew, it finally reached London in 1848, where it went on exhibition on the River Thames until 1853. It was then auctioned off, towed to Liverpool, and finally broken up. This book tells a story of missed opportunities, with an erratic course, overambitious aims, and achievements born of lucky breaks—a microcosm, in fact, of early Hong Kong and of the relations between China and the West.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
Twenty six of the Chinese crew arrested the Keying about a month after the junk arrived in New York. They claimed that they had been only engaged for eight months, but had stayed on for nearly a ...
More
Twenty six of the Chinese crew arrested the Keying about a month after the junk arrived in New York. They claimed that they had been only engaged for eight months, but had stayed on for nearly a year. They also reported that they wanted their wages as well as their return passages paid to them as per their agreements as they have not been paid. The court case revealed the gulf between the European officers idea of their agreement and the crew’s. The crew would have been signed on using the Asiatic Articles that were not yet fully formalized but already differed in important respects from standard British articles, however that might not have been apparent to Kellett. In 1847, the New York Court ruled in the Chinese crew’s favour.Less
Twenty six of the Chinese crew arrested the Keying about a month after the junk arrived in New York. They claimed that they had been only engaged for eight months, but had stayed on for nearly a year. They also reported that they wanted their wages as well as their return passages paid to them as per their agreements as they have not been paid. The court case revealed the gulf between the European officers idea of their agreement and the crew’s. The crew would have been signed on using the Asiatic Articles that were not yet fully formalized but already differed in important respects from standard British articles, however that might not have been apparent to Kellett. In 1847, the New York Court ruled in the Chinese crew’s favour.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The chapter details the events that happened during the last few years of the Keying’s lifetime. Between 1852 and 1855, the Keying was put on the auction block in rapid succession. Throughout these ...
More
The chapter details the events that happened during the last few years of the Keying’s lifetime. Between 1852 and 1855, the Keying was put on the auction block in rapid succession. Throughout these years, there have been attempts at making the Keying an attraction to the paying public, however, they all ended in failure. During these auctions, the Keying and its contents went to separate buyers. The Chinese junk was dismantled in 1854, only very few items in the collection survived. Charles Kellett moved to New Zealand in order to continue his career as a seaman. Very little was known about the Chinese crew, according to recollections of William Blakeney, some of them made their way back to China.Less
The chapter details the events that happened during the last few years of the Keying’s lifetime. Between 1852 and 1855, the Keying was put on the auction block in rapid succession. Throughout these years, there have been attempts at making the Keying an attraction to the paying public, however, they all ended in failure. During these auctions, the Keying and its contents went to separate buyers. The Chinese junk was dismantled in 1854, only very few items in the collection survived. Charles Kellett moved to New Zealand in order to continue his career as a seaman. Very little was known about the Chinese crew, according to recollections of William Blakeney, some of them made their way back to China.
Stephen Davies
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888208203
- eISBN:
- 9789888268221
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208203.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
It would seem as though the Keying was a junk built broadly on the lines of a vessel familiar in the nanyang and coastal trades of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century China. The exact design ...
More
It would seem as though the Keying was a junk built broadly on the lines of a vessel familiar in the nanyang and coastal trades of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century China. The exact design provenance is uncertain, but the vessel shows many of the broad lineaments of a fuchuan, albeit one which had acquired either from the outset of more probably as a result of post-build modifications and repairs, some Guangdong characteristics.Less
It would seem as though the Keying was a junk built broadly on the lines of a vessel familiar in the nanyang and coastal trades of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century China. The exact design provenance is uncertain, but the vessel shows many of the broad lineaments of a fuchuan, albeit one which had acquired either from the outset of more probably as a result of post-build modifications and repairs, some Guangdong characteristics.
