Reign of Yongzheng, 10th year (The story of that Swedish ship)

Author: Ahai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Ten Years of Yongzheng: The Story of That Swedish Ship essentially recreates the overall situation of Guangzhou trade in the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign. It includes relevant local officials in Guangzhou, the supervisor of the Guangdong Custom House, as well as the family members, clerks, and runners of the Custom House Supervisory Office. There are also foreign merchants from Britain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, and other countries who came to trade, foreign sailors stranded in Huangpu, as well as Fujianese merchants specializing in trade with foreigners and interpreters and compradors serving foreign ships.
Surrounding the trade activities of foreign ships, these characters weave together into a complex web of relationships, leading to a series of stories about the Swedish merchant ship in Guangzhou during the tenth year of Yongzheng: the first arrival of the Blue Flag foreign ship, the foreign sailors in Huangpu port firing guns day and night, startling the imperial examinations; Chen Fangguan of the Fude Trading Company filing a complaint to the British East India Company, clashing with Chen Shouguan of the Guangshun Trading Company, leading to the Custom House Supervisory Office sealing five foreign goods trading companies; Chen Fangguan lodging a complaint to the Viceroy's office, reaching the highest level of authority, resulting in the dismissal and investigation of Zong Binggui, the Custom House Supervisor; foreign merchants seizing the opportunity to file complaints, and the Blue Flag foreign ship leaving Guangzhou in disgrace, with no one to see it off, and so on.
Although Ten Years of Yongzheng: The Story of That Swedish Ship is narrated in a storytelling manner, the characters and events mentioned in the book are all based on historical archives and are strictly reliable history. The relevant incidents are recorded based on a comparison of Chinese and Swedish archives, and the relevant characters, except for the merchant Mandarin Quiqua of the Sheng Trading Company, have been verified, with their actual Chinese names and foreign business names during their trade in Guangzhou identified.