Page 4 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

captains faced storms, ship·wrecks and native pirates for trade.

They considered the inconveniences of the 11Can·ton system"
merely another challenge.

American trade at Canton grew rapidly in its first three

decade . The China trade became part o f a global foreign com­
s
merce, in which American merchants despatched their vessels to

ports in all hemispheres to procure cargoes for Canton. A'.fter

the War of 1812, American trade changed. Resident-agents. and

connnission houses a·t Canton permitted greater efficiency. By

the 1830's Americans were competing successfully with the Eng­

lish, the largest and mos·t-powerful g r oup of foreigners at Can­

ton. While business acumen was partially responsible for Amer­

ican success, ano·ther equally important factor was American at­

ti·tudes toward the Chinese and the "Canton system." Obedience

to Imperial laws earned Americans the benevolence of Chinese

authorities and the friendship of Chinese merchants. The lat­

ter shared American desires for commercial profits and co-oper­

ated with them to achieve mutual benefi·l;s. In the 1830' s this

bond between Americans and Chinese increased, as the English

disrupted and finally destroyed the ncanton sys·tem" in the

Opium War (1839-4-2).
The Opiwn War origina·ted with English refusal to withdraw

from the illegal. drug trade. England's vie tory changed the en­

tire basis of Sino-V/estern contact. Gradual deterioration of

Imperial administration under the Ch'ing dynasty had caused a

shift in the balance-of-power that had allowed the Chinese to

govern their foreign relations. Increasingly characterized by

corruption and venality, Ch'ing officials became powerless to