Abstract
Beginning with Marco Polo (1254–1324), Western missionaries, travelers, traders, and philosophers marveled at China’s size and wealth, and probed the mysteries of the worldview and the form of governance that produced such riches. Some were fascinated by Chinese morals, others by the country’s long-standing system of civil service. In 1792, for example, Lord George Macartney sailed to China to negotiate more favorable trading terms for British merchants. Because China had become the largest, most powerful political entity in East Asia, trade with it was crucial for British merchants and the British Empire at large. Macartney failed to achieve his goals, but he was struck by the material wealth he encountered and by the strength and efficacy of China’s imperial government, which he said had “performed with wonderful ability and unparalleled success.” And yet, he also acutely observed that the Qing Empire might not be as stable as it seemed. By the mid-19th century, Britain had defeated Qing China in the Opium War.
Original language | American English |
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Journal | The American Scholar |
Volume | Spring |
State | Published - 2021 |