Reconsideration of the International Relations of the Qing dynasty and the Canton trade, 1784-1833

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26770239
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: History of Asia and Africa
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Toyooka Yasufumi 信州大学, 学術研究院人文科学系, 准教授 (30712559)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 清朝史 / 中国対外関係史 / 中国経済史 / 中国政治史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The balance of Sino-western trade in Guangdong did not affect the economy of Qing China. Therefore the Qing central government left the management of the so-called “Canton trade” to local authorities in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
In late 1830s, an idea of relevancy between long recession from 1820s and silver outflows attendant on sharp increasing of opium smuggling was widely accepted in Qing China. The situation caused intervention of the Qing central government to Canton trade and the high tension in Sino-British relations. This study concluded that the casus belli of the first Opium war was the changing perception of importance of foreign trade in the Qing economy.

Free Research Field

東アジア近世・近代史