Page 44 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

mainly for use in China, and that the same artisan silversmiths were responsible for
producing both.

The third, or “Late China Trade Period”, represents the time after the Treaty of Nanking,
the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony, the later Treaty of Tientsin, the de-
facto reign of Empress Dowager Cixi and sweeping reforms instigated by the Imperial
Court in a bid to save the dynasty. It was a time which witnessed various rebellions and
periods of unrest. Technological advances saw the introduction of steamer ships and the
decline and demise of clipper sailing ships with all the associated changes this brought to
the mechanics of trading.

Silver from the last period, “The Post China Trade and Republic Period”, reflects the social
changes that China was going through at this time, the rise of a Chinese middle class, the
population growth in urban areas, the increasing affluence of Hong Kong and Shanghai,
the introduction of Western-style department stores to China by returning émigré Chinese
entrepreneurs and the fall of the Qing Dynasty to the relatively short-lived Republic [37
years].

Although the Republic Era came to an end in 1949, the year 1940 is a more fitting date at
which to conclude the production of this silver. There are various reasons, but mainly
because of the build-up to and outbreak of World War II. The preceding decade saw a
confusing plethora of collusion between various regional warlords and foreign powers,
including Japan, that lasted until the Japanese invasions and occupations of significant
areas of China as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War [known in Japan as "The
China Incident"] as well as Hong Kong itself in 1942.

Whilst there was considerable political unrest in China between 1928 and 1940, production
of Chinese silver did continue, albeit in varying degrees of diminishment, depending on
location. True to form, much of the silver produced during those years reflects the rapidly
unfolding historical events and the Western fashion trends that also swept through
Shanghai and Hong Kong, making them legendary international cities.

The four periods also act as a useful sub-conscious filing system, since each individual
period presents us with silver of singularly distinctive attributes:

1685-1757 “The Formative China Trade Period”

1757-1842 “The Early China Trade Period”

1842-1895 “The Late China Trade Period”

1895-1940 “The Post China Trade & Republic Period”

The Tang and Sung Dynasties saw equally extraordinary silver being created, mainly for
the Imperial court, Chinese nobility and intellectuals. The Ming dynasty saw an expansion
in trade with Europe and Japan that was totally fuelled by silver, reaching levels that were
so extraordinary then as they would be considered even today.

Under the Ming Dynasty, China was virtually inundated with raw silver, yet surprisingly
there was a decline in the amount of important silver objects produced. The subsequent