Problems of English Merchants with the Tea Trade with China


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Problems of English Merchants with the Tea Trade with China

Problem of English Merchants with the Tea Trade from China: England at this time produced nothing that could be easily sold in China. The Confucian rulers of China, the Manchus, were suspicious of all foreign merchants.

The Manchus were unwilling to allow the entry of foreign goods. In such a situation, Western merchants found difficulty in financing the tea trade. They could buy tea only by paying in silver coins or bullion

This meant an out flow  of treasures from England, a prospect that created widspread anxiety. It was believed that a loss of treasures would improverish the nation and deplete its wealth.Merchants therefore looked for ways to stop this loss of silver . They searched for a commodity they could sell in china, something they could persuade the chinese to buy.

Opium as a Medium of Exchange: opium was a such commodity                      The Portuguese had introduced opium into China in the early 16th century. Opium was however, known primarily for its medical properties and used in very small quantities for certain types of medicines. The Chinese were aware of the dangers of opium addiction and the Emperor had forbidden its production and sale except for medicinal purposes. But Western merchants in the mid—18th century began an illegal trade in opium. It was unloaded in a number of sea ports of South-Eastern China and carried by local agents to the interiors. While the English cultivated a taste for Chinese tea, the Chines became addicted to opium. People of all classes took to the drug As China became a country of opium addicts, British trade in tea flourished. The returns from opium sale financed the tea purchase in China.

While the English cultivated a taste for Chinese tea, the Chinese became addicted to opium. People  of all classes took to the drug  shopkeepers and peddlers. Lin Ze-xu , special commissioner at Canton in 1839, estimated that there was over 4 million smokers in china .

A British doctor in canton put the figure at 12 million. As China became a country of opium addicts , British trade was flourished the return form opium sale financed the tea purchase in China.

 
 


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