Madeleine Zelin, Consultant Show
MING-QING ECONOMIC DYNAMISM AND FOREIGN TRADEAt the end of the Ming dynasty, just before the Manchus overthrew the Ming and established the Qing dynasty, China's economy was in a period of expansion. New markets were being founded, and merchants were extending their businesses across provincial lines and even into the South China Sea. Chinese merchants were already active in Southeast Asia during this time, and, in fact, one of the arguments then made regarding the cessation of China's state-sponsored maritime expeditions to various places in the southern seas (such as the famed "Ming Voyages") was that these expeditions were no longer necessary. Chinese merchants themselves were going out to the South China Sea and were trading with these areas themselves, so there was no longer a need to have a tributary relationship with other states or city-states in this area. In certain instances the Qing state did balk at the movement of people into overseas commerce and tried to limit rice and metallic currency from moving out of the country, but the state simply did not have the capacity to stop trade completely. The circulation of goods went on with or without state approval. [Read more about the Ming Voyages] The economic growth so evident under the Ming dynasty continued under the Qing dynasty, up until the time of the Opium War in the 1840s. During this time China’s domestic economy was a dynamic, commercializing economy, and in some small ways, even an industrializing economy. The Stereotype of an "Anti-Merchant" Qing State CHINA AS A VAST CONTINENTAL MARKET, IN CONTRAST TO THE SMALL STATES OF EUROPEUnlike Europe during this same period, which was composed of many small states, each with its own political system, national boundary, and tax system, Qing China was a vast continental market with no impediments to the movement of goods across provincial boundaries (see map 'Comparing China and Europe' here-scroll to 2nd map). In analyzing the various institutions that were in place in China at this time, it is important to keep in mind that the structure of China’s large continental empire affected economic development, economic growth, and economic structures. Store in Suzhou market selling fine cotton from Taicang and Chongming, two well-known cotton-producing areas in Jiangsu Province, from The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou Along the Grand CanalVIEW THE SCROLL --> QING CHINA'S ACTIVE ECONOMY, WITH MANY IMPORTANT MARKETS AND MANY COMMODITIESChina did not have a single central market during the Qing dynasty (Shanghai, for example, was just a small town until the late 1800s), but it was big enough to have many important markets and goods moving amongst them. Some goods -- particularly specialty items — moved across great distances. Medicinal herbs from the mountains in West China moved East, where they were used for medicines and salves. Cotton moved from North China to cotton weavers in Central China. Rice moved in much more localized markets because of its bulk and because it was readily available in many places. But where there was a market for a certain product, Chinese merchants were there to create the facility to move the product. Farming Economy with Proliferation of Markets Development of a Complex Market Structure Development of a Merchant Hierarchy Taxes Paid in Money Paper Money and Bimetallic Currency Early Banks and Long-distance Trade IMPORTANCE OF THE GRAND CANAL IN TRADE WITHIN CHINATo a certain extent, the Qing state itself facilitated the movement of goods to market by locating Beijing, its capital, far to the north, away from the rich and prosperous rice growing areas of Southern China. This resulted in a natural market for the demand of goods in the North, if for no other reason than to feed the imperial household and court. This was one of the reasons why it was so important to keep the Grand Canal working. The Grand Canal was a major conduit for grain, salt, and other important commodities. Any taxes that were paid in kind were paid in grain, which was shipped along the Grand Canal. Thus, control of the Grand Canal was of critical importance to the Qing government. Map of the Grand Canal, before 1855. Before 1855 the Yellow River flowed south of the Shandong peninsula and into the Huai River ADDRESSING THREE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE QING ECONOMY1. STATE CONTROL OF THE ECONOMYA major misconception about the relationship between the Chinese state and the economy is that the state controlled economic activities with a heavy hand. But if one really looks at the size of the Chinese bureaucracy and the size of China throughout its history, whether in terms of the size of the territory or the size of the population, one can see that no Chinese state could have controlled economic activity completely. More importantly, as early as the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century, the state made the decision to withdraw from control of the economy, and thereafter the Chinese state was no longer determining where a market could or could not be established. The Qing, a Laissez-Faire State? An Exception: The State Monopoly on the Salt Trade Hereditary Occupations 2. SILVER IN CHINA AND THE WORLD ECONOMYA government-designated shop where copper coins and small ingots of silver can be exchanged for larger ingots of silver to be used for paying taxes, from The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou Along the Grand Canal Those who would argue that China was not involved in the world economy by the Qing period have only to look at some of the consequences of China's use of currency -- both copper and silver. China under the Qing had an enormous unmet demand for silver. As the economy grew, the populace needed silver for transactions in the marketplace. As early as the 1720s, Mexican silver dollars were used in transactions in Southern China. Mexican silver had the advantage of already being in coin form and being reliable for its weight in silver, so that one did not have to go to a money changer to have him weigh the silver and take a fee for attaching a certificate. The Chinese government did not mint silver coins, so throughout this period people were using minted and raw silver coming into the country through the Philippines and other areas that were points of trade in the Southern China region. Western European nations during this time had very few commodities other than silver to sell to China in exchange for the tea, porcelain, and silk that were being imported to meet their own growing demand. Indeed, this inflow of silver from the West is one reason for the rapid expansion of China's economy during the 18th century. Read more about the story of silver in China at the website CHINA AND EUROPE: 1500-2000 AND BEYOND. 3. CREATION OF THE "CANTON SYSTEM" IN 1760The notion that the Chinese government feared foreign traders and did not want foreign traders on its shores is a major misconception. Although foreign trade was not a dominant source of revenue for the imperial household, it was taxed at a number of ports along the Chinese coast and was an important source of revenue for the central government. It was not until the 1760s that China really began to limit foreign trade to the single port of Canton, and there is much speculation about why this happened. Some scholars have related this to Chinese awareness of the activities of the British East India Company in India in the 1750s, when Britain was effectively colonizing India, and the Chinese government's fear of similar foreign encroachment on its own soil. Other scholars see the creation of the single port of call for European ships at Canton as being a mutual decision, because, in fact, Canton was the only port that really could provide the kind of facilities that foreign traders needed. Canton had a sufficient number of merchants, sufficient capital to be able to bring goods from the interior in sufficient amounts to make it worthwhile for foreigners to come all the way from England to China. The trip from England to China during this time was indeed very long, and ships only came once a year. The merchants bought everything they could to fill up the ships and soon set sail again. How was the Qing dynasty's policy of trade?The Qing had a very restrictive trade policy with the West, but they had looser agreements with their Russian, Central Asian, and Southeast Asian neighbors. Western trade was regulated under the Canton system that developed in the eighteenth century.
Who did the Qing dynasty trade with and what did they trade?In the 18th and early 19th centuries, under the Qing dynasty (1644-1912), China produced tea, silk, porcelain and other goods for European consumption on an unprecedented scale. Although Europe had always had an appetite for Eastern luxuries, two main factors facilitated the explosion of trade at this time.
How was the Qing dynasty's policy of trade with Europe similar to that of the Ming Dynasty?Question: How was the Qing dynasty's policy of trade with Europe similar to that of the Ming dynasty? *A. Both dynasties heavily restricted trade with Europe. Correct!
What is the Qing dynasty best known for?The Qing Dynasty was the final imperial dynasty in China, lasting from 1644 to 1912. It was an era noted for its initial prosperity and tumultuous final years, and for being only the second time that China was not ruled by the Han people.
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