Summarize the characteristics and historical background of China's foreign trade in the middle of18th century.

China's Dominant Position in Trade Globalization —— From1mid-6th century to1early 9th century.

From the middle of16th century to the beginning of19th century, trade globalization based on commodity circulation is the first stage of global economic integration. At that time, China's rich commodities were highly competitive in the international market and played a decisive leading role in promoting trade globalization.

1. China is a big market for trade globalization.

15 and 16 centuries are major turning points in the development of world history. 1405 ——1433 China Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean; 1492, Italian C. Colombaud discovered America; 1498, vasco. Da Gama bypassed the Cape of Good Hope and opened up the eastern route from Europe to India. 1519-1522 F.D. Magelh * AES of Portugal made a great feat of sailing around the world, which gradually turned the scattered and isolated world into an integrated world in geography, and human history became the history of the whole world to a greater extent, providing human geographical conditions for the globalization of commodity trade.

However, as the basis of trade globalization, that is, commodity circulation, depends on China's strong commodity manufacturing capacity and rich commodities produced. According to historical records, China was a developed country in the world economy from the middle of15th century (middle of Ming dynasty) to 1796 (first year of Jiaqing) to 1820 (25th year of Jiaqing). According to statistics, from 1522 to 1566 (Jiajing period), China's pig iron output reached 45,000 tons, ranking first in the world, while Britain only reached 2,000 tons in 1740. 1750 (fifteen years after Qianlong), China's total industrial output accounted for 32% of the world's total industrial output, while Europe only accounted for 23%; The total domestic trade of China is 400 million silver [2]. Until 1820 (twenty-five years of Jiaqing), China's GDP still accounted for 32.4% of the world economy, ranking first in the world. Therefore, "in all civilizations before modern times, no country's civilization is more developed and advanced than China" [4], "China is a great, rich, luxurious and solemn country" [5]. That is to say, until about 1820, China occupied a primary position in the world economic history and was the center of the world economy. At that time, China's raw silk, silk fabrics, porcelain, tea, cotton cloth, sugar, grain, medicinal materials and other commodities enjoyed a high reputation and strong competitiveness in the international market. As a western writer reported at that time:

China people have the best food in the world-rice; The best drink-tea; The best fabrics-cotton, silk and leather products. Have these major items and countless other minor items [6].

Especially the silk goods in China, foreign businessmen are full of admiration and say:

Among all kinds of silk goods shipped from China, white is the most popular. It is as white as snow. There is no product in Europe that can compare with China's silk products.

1629 (the second year of Chongzhen), the third Dutch chief in Taiwan Province province, Knut, said in a report to the king:

China is a country rich in natural products, which can supply a lot of goods to the world [8](p 109).

That's true. According to historical records. 16-18th century, China exported about 236 kinds of goods to the world, including handicrafts 137 kinds, accounting for more than half of the total. Among them, raw silk and silk fabrics are the main products, followed by porcelain and tea.

During this period, due to the influence of the "price revolution", European and American countries experienced more wars, famines and plagues, the economy became increasingly depressed, and various commodities were extremely scarce. Therefore, these countries simply do not have livelihood products that can enter the China market. They have to take a lot of money to China to buy goods, and then sell them back to China for dumping. The so-called foreign ships "don't carry much goods, and most of them belong to Fanyin" [9]. Before 1830 (Daoguang decade), China's foreign trade was often surplus, and silver was continuously imported into China from India, Britain and the United States. According to statistics, from 1553 to 1830, more than 500 million silver from western countries was traded in Guangdong and flowed to China [10]. During the period of 1585- 1640, the amount of Japanese silver exported to China reached14899000 [11]. It can be seen that until the eve of the Opium War, China was far ahead of other countries and regions in the process of globalization of commodity trade at that time [12]. Other countries in the world come to China to buy cheap and high-quality goods, making China a big market for trade globalization.

Second, Guangzhou is the central market of trade globalization.

15- 19 In the middle of the 9th century, the China government basically implemented the overseas trade policy of "opening at times and banning at times", prohibiting coastal businessmen from conducting maritime trade. However, a special policy was implemented for Guangdong. In the first year of Jiajing (1522), Fujian and Zhejiang Shipping Company was changed, but Guangdong Shipping Company was saved [13]. In the twenty-second year of Qianlong (1757), it was stipulated that foreign businessmen "can only accept berthing transactions in Guangdong in the future" [14]. Therefore, from the first year of Jiajing to the twentieth year of Daoguang (1522- 1840), Guangdong has always been a legal foreign trade province in China, and its provincial capital, Guangzhou, has become the largest legal import and export port in China and the largest commercial center along the coast from zhina to Zhangzhou. A large number of land and water goods were unloaded in Guangzhou "[5](P 1 16, preface). Therefore, businessmen from all over the world come to China to trade. 1798 (the third year of Jiaqing), the Swede Anders Liungstedt described the fact that foreign businessmen came to Guangzhou to do business:

Guangzhou's geographical location and China's policies, together with other reasons, make this city a big stage for domestic and international trade. ..... All the trade between the Chinese Empire and western countries is concentrated here. Products from all over China can be found here; Goods from Tokyo, zhina, Cambodia, Siam, Malacca or Malay Peninsula, Oriental Islands, Indian ports, European countries, countries in North and South America and Pacific Islands are all transported here [15](P30 1).

According to incomplete statistics, during the 72 years from the 20th year of Kangxi to the 22nd year of Qianlong (1685- 1757), 3 12 European and American merchant ships traded in Guangzhou [16]. From the 23rd year of Qianlong to the 18th year of Daoguang (1758- 1838), there were 5 107 ships, with an average of 63.8 ships per year.

At the same time, businessmen from all over China and Guangdong Province also concentrated in Guangzhou for import and export trade, which was called "exposure" [17]. 1629 (the second year of Chongzhen), Nite, the third chief of the Netherlands in Taiwan Province Province, also described in his report to the king:

China people transported goods from all over the country to towns and seaports where they thought they had the most cash to buy goods ... Later, the quantity of goods they transported to the Guangzhou market was too large for the Portuguese to buy ... Merchants who participated in these markets saw that their goods were sold, so they took them to Manila, Siam, Makassar and other places with their own boats at their own risk. [8](p 1 15， 109)

Anders Ljungstedt came to Guangzhou in 1798 (Jiaqing period), and also saw the situation that Chinese mainland businessmen gathered in Guangzhou to do business:

Products from all over China can be found here (Guangzhou); Businessmen and agents from all provinces in China are doing brisk business here with rich profits. [ 15]

In order to develop the foreign trade concentrated in Guangzhou, the Ming and Qing governments not only set up the Guangdong Shipping Agency and Guangdong Customs to manage it, but also "set up official shops to trade with the people" [18], and later developed into commercial groups specializing in foreign trade "Line 36" and "Line 13" to trade directly with foreign businessmen. At that time, foreign businessmen were not familiar with the situation in China, did not know Chinese and did not know the foreign trade management system of the China government. The establishment of this business group has become an intermediary between foreign businessmen and Chinese businessmen, making foreign trade more active and good. So at that time, foreign businessmen generally felt that it was more convenient and easier to do business in Guangzhou than in other parts of the world. As the British Parliament concluded in 1830 (Daoguang Decade) after investigating British businessmen trading in Guangzhou:

What do foreign businessmen think of the whole Guangzhou system (which has been revised in practice)? At the extremely important meeting of China Trade Review Committee of the British House of Commons in 1830, almost all the witnesses present admitted that it was more convenient and easier to do business in Guangzhou than anywhere else in the world [19](P5 1).

That's it. /kloc-from the middle of the 6th century to the beginning of the 9th century, businessmen from all over the world came to Guangzhou in an endless stream to do business, making Guangzhou the central market of commodity trade globalization and showing a prosperous scene of foreign trade.