Origin, history, development, etc.

The history of Goldberg

1732, a Swedish wooden sailboat named "Gothenburg" sailed to Guangzhou for 18 months, thus opening the first page of Sino-Swiss trade history. This route is the famous "Ancient Maritime Silk Road" in the world shipping history and economic and trade history. The best merchant ship in Sweden at that time sold silk, tea, porcelain and handicrafts brought back from China in Sweden, which was almost equivalent to Sweden's GDP in that year. 26 1 year ago, when the ship returned to China for the third time, it mysteriously hit the rocks and sank 900 meters away from Gothenburg port, Sweden.

On 10/2 last year, 10, the "Goldberg" rebuilt by Switzerland set sail in Sweden and sailed for China along the "Ancient Maritime Silk Road". I will arrive in Guangzhou on 18 this year for a one-month visit in Guangzhou. Along with this wooden boat, which took 10 years to copy and cost 350 million Swedish kronor (about 350 million yuan), there are also the King of Sweden and a huge cultural and economic delegation to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sweden. It is understood that the King of Sweden will attend the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sea in the style of Sui and Tang Dynasties held in Nanhai Temple Square, which will begin a month-long series of celebrations covering culture, economy, trade and tourism.

Stone sea dog god

Zhang Shen

1745, the merchant ship "Goldberg" of the Swedish East India Company, which was full of oriental goods, sank about 900 meters outside the port of Gothenburg, Sweden. The wreck of "Goldberg" not only brought regrets, but also brought questions. People are puzzled about the cause of the merchant ship crash. But why did Goldberg use Guangzhou as a stopover, trade and return place? China has a long coastline and many excellent seaports. In terms of comprehensive port conditions, Guangzhou may not be the best, but "Goldberg", like many other western merchant ships at that time, decided to go to Guangzhou without going anywhere, and there are some places worthy of people's memory.

Sigang trade

Some people may think that the Goldberg docked in Guangzhou under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Actually, it is not. When the Goldberg arrived in China, China had four ports that could receive western businessmen. They are distributed in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. The so-called "one-stop trading" is a rule that appeared more than ten years after the sinking of Goldberg.

In the early years of Qing Dynasty, the overseas trade policy changed several times.

At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, Manchu rulers used peasant rebels to overthrow the Ming Dynasty and break through the pass, and gradually gained the upper hand in a series of competitions, thus winning China. As a minority regime, the Qing Dynasty was extremely worried about the resistance of the people in the Han areas. In order to deal with the anti-Qing forces of Nanming, which occupied the southeast coast, Zheng Chenggong, who was based in Taiwan Province, was forced to submit. From 65438 to 0655, the Qing Dynasty changed the policy of "trading to enrich the country", issued orders many times, forbidding the border movement at sea, stipulating that "blocks are not allowed to enter the sea, and grain and goods are not allowed to cross Xinjiang", and forced coastal people to move 30-50 miles inland. For a time, the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled in the coastal areas turned to safety, and the strong were displaced in all directions. "There are thousands of miles along the coast, and there are not many people."

At this time, Fujian and Guangdong were under the jurisdiction of prisoners Geng Jimao and Shang Kexi and their families respectively. They used to make meritorious military service for the Qing Dynasty, so they were proud of their achievements, overbearing and self-respecting, and completely ignored the orders of the imperial court. During the period when the maritime ban moved to the frontier, they benefited a lot from building seagoing ships and contacting the outside world, so the overseas trade between Guangzhou and Xiamen was not completely interrupted.

168 1 year, the Qing dynasty won a war that lasted for eight years and spread to ten Yu Sheng, quelled the "San Francisco rebellion", and the forces located in Fujian and Guangdong, such as Geng Jimao and Shang Kexi, perished one after another. 1683, the Qing dynasty recovered Taiwan Province province. There are no more political and military forces that can challenge the Qing Dynasty in the vast areas along the southeast coast. The following year, at the request of officials in Guangdong and other places, the Qing Dynasty lifted the sea ban and set up Jiang Customs, Zhejiang Customs, Fujian Customs and Guangdong Customs in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces to conduct foreign trade and trade. The four-port trading period on history of qing dynasty began.

At this time, all four ports can compete in trade according to their own advantages. At the beginning, western businessmen were interested in Zhoushan in Zhejiang Customs (the port is in Dinghai), Xiamen in Fujian Customs and Guangzhou in Guangdong Customs. Zhoushan is located in the origin of silk, close to the northern region where wool products are consumed more. Silk is a China commodity that western businessmen are eager to get; Woolen goods are commodities that western businessmen try their best to promote in the East. In the early years of Qing Dynasty, Xiamen had a close relationship with Taiwan Province Province, and the trade between China and the West was quite prosperous. Businessmen from Britain, the Netherlands and other countries who won trade in Guangzhou have been blocked by Portuguese Macao who tried to monopolize trade many times, but Guangzhou has always been a place they never forget. 1700, of the five merchant ships sent to China by the British East India Company, two sailed for Zhoushan, of which the "Sarah" carried the most money among the five merchant ships; "Neptune" took the second place with funds and went to Xiamen; Two other merchant ships are heading for Guangzhou.

However, during the twenty or thirty years when the Qing Dynasty opened its maritime trade, western businessmen gradually shifted their trade focus to Guangzhou.

Western businessmen left Zhoushan first. Judging from the records of the British at that time, there were three main reasons. First, because merchant ships can only berth at sea, and customs officials are in Ningbo, there is often a distraught wait between the arrival of merchant ships and the arrival of customs officials. 1700, two British merchant ships were delayed due to customs supervision delay. Second, there are many difficulties in trade. Zhoushan is only a small market, and western businessmen have to deal with Ningbo businessmen, while Ningbo's "merchants' guild is very powerful" and "the strongest in the country". Therefore, Ningbo businessmen are rigid and inflexible, and there is little room for western businessmen to bargain. Most western products are hard to sell in Zhoushan. Third, local authorities and local officials extort too much, which makes them unbearable. Businessmen of the British East India Company reported to its board of directors that "not a day goes by without being insulted, blackmailed and suppressed by officials or businessmen. "About the beginning of the18th century, British businessmen got the understanding that" Guangzhou is better than Xiamen, and the above two places are better than Zhoushan ". The situation in Xiamen is slightly different from Zhoushan, but there are two similarities: trade difficulties and "serious extortion and harassment" by officials. Soon, western businessmen also left Xiamen. Before 18 16, western businessmen concentrated their trade with China in Guangzhou.

In the following years, western businessmen visited Zhoushan and Xiamen again and again, and officials from both places welcomed western businessmen. However, several attempts ended in failure, mainly because it was difficult to deal with officials. Due to the limited market scale and maturity, the quality of businessmen in the two places, market throughput, delivery time, price, payment methods and many other aspects can not be compared with Guangzhou.

geographical environment

Guangzhou is located at the northern edge of the Pearl River Delta, where several rivers such as Beijiang, Xijiang and Dongjiang meet and flow into the South China Sea. The South China Sea, south of Guangzhou, has been the most important sea passage connecting China and overseas countries since ancient times, and it is the sea of life for China's international trade.

Before the "Great Geographical Discovery", most countries connected with China by sea were located in Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and North Africa. The most convenient port of call for ocean-going ships in the above areas is Guangzhou Port after they arrive in the South China Sea. As the oldest overseas trading port in China, Guangzhou mainly depends on its geographical location. Goldberg arrived in China via the South China Sea, and the most convenient port of call was of course Guangzhou.

At this time, among the four ports open to western merchant ships in China, Guangzhou is the most accessible port for ocean-going ships, followed by Xiamen. However, compared with Guangzhou, Xiamen's inland traffic conditions are not good enough and its economic hinterland is not big enough. In addition to coastal routes, goods entering Guangzhou can also be transported to Jiangxi and Hunan by means of Beijiang, Xijiang and Dongjiang, and then transported to all parts of the country through the Yangtze River and its tributaries. Export commodities can also gather in Guangzhou. As a big trading port, there are not only goods flowing from south to north, but also rolling people, including giant businessmen, "generalists" who act as translators, craftsmen who build ships, other professionals and ordinary workers, and a large number of adventurers from home and abroad. The consumption of daily necessities is an amazing figure. During this period, the Pearl River Delta and its surrounding areas developed developed and distinctive agriculture, aquaculture and handicrafts, which could provide Guangzhou with rich and colorful means of subsistence and enjoy resources, and also had a certain supply and consumption capacity for import and export commodities.

In addition, in the era of galleons, ocean-going ships have no power and rely entirely on the monsoon to shuttle between the oceans. Traditionally, merchant ships arrive in China by southeast monsoon every May and June, and leave China by northwest monsoon at the end of the year or early next year after the transaction. Western businessmen wanted to leave some people in China for the winter to deal with unfinished business, which was not allowed in the Qing Dynasty. At this time, Macao was occupied by the Portuguese, and the desire of western businessmen to stay for the winter was realized here. Therefore, the existence of Macao makes it easy for Guangzhou to win the port competition.

Commercial culture

By the time the Goldberg arrived in the middle of the18th century, Guangzhou's foreign trade and economic cooperation had a history of about 2,000 years. This world-famous commercial metropolis has already created its own mature commercial culture.

According to the Chronicle of British East India Company's Trade with China, 1699, a British businessman met a businessman named Hong Shunguan in Guangzhou. The businessman discussed business with them, and proposed to buy goods by package, provide the best goods ever, offer the highest purchase price and ask for the lowest sales price. Hong Shunguan also promised to persuade the customs to "reduce demand". Another thing that makes British businessmen happy is that the two sides can talk in Portuguese without the help of "general affairs".

There are many businessmen in Guangzhou, and their personal qualities vary greatly, but Hong Shunguan's behavior is representative. His behavior shows a rare spirit of mutually beneficial cooperation in other ports, which embodies the characteristics and maturity of Guangzhou's commercial culture. For example, in Zhoushan, it is difficult to sell goods brought by the British except "silver and lead" because businessmen "don't like anything". At the same time, in Guangzhou, the trade of western woolen goods has been going on. Smart businessmen in Guangzhou realize that trade should be mutually beneficial and win-win, and they must be prepared to make concessions and lose money at some time for greater commercial interests; If you lose money selling woolen goods, you can earn it back by selling silk tea and other export commodities. In addition, Guangzhou businessmen's communication skills and professionalism are also reflected in Hongshun's view.

Guangzhou's business culture also has a great influence on the officials in charge of this area. During the maritime ban in the early Qing dynasty, the economy of southeast coastal areas such as Guangdong suffered a major blow. When the Qing dynasty's rule in the coastal areas was basically stable, local officials in Guangdong actively suggested that the court should open the sea ban. They clearly know that foreign economic relations and trade are closely related to local economic and social stability. Some sober officials in Guangzhou also realized that "releasing water to raise fish" is not as good as "exhausting water and fishing"; Appropriate compromise can bring greater economic benefits. Therefore, they sometimes treat the demands of Chinese and foreign businessmen with a quite accommodating attitude.

At that time, British businessmen recorded it like this: "At 1700, we saw a new stage and a more advanced development system in Guangzhou. The customs supervisor received Marsfield in a friendly way. There is no doubt that he learned how to lure foreign businessmen from his clever Guangzhou consultant instead of extorting them from home. "

Later, when summing up this history, people pointed out that in the17th century, many places carried out small-scale trade, but they tended to concentrate in Guangzhou. On the one hand, officials and businessmen in Guangzhou have keen business instincts, on the other hand, foreign businessmen find that officials and businessmen in other cities only want to get the most golden eggs in the shortest time. Therefore, since18th century, Guangzhou has naturally become an important commercial port.

Guangzhou in the era of Goldberg

1732, King Frederick came to Guangzhou, which was the first merchant ship of the Swedish East India Company to trade with China. 1736, the "Goldberg" berthed in Guangzhou was conducting its first trade with Guangzhou. When Goldberg returned from Guangzhou for the last time, more than a dozen Swedish ships had arrived here. As far as trade with China is concerned, the Swedish East India Company is both a latecomer and a lucky one. When her merchant ship made its maiden voyage to China, Guangzhou was undoubtedly the best choice, without spending time and energy in other ports.

1757, that is, more than ten years after the sinking of Goldberg, the Qing Dynasty began to implement "one-stop trade" and the port choice of western businessmen was cancelled. They have no choice but to do business in Guangzhou. The Qing dynasty wrapped the ancient Chinese empire like a snail, trying to avoid and reduce any possible impact of international trade and exchanges. At this time, the trade between Britain and other western countries and China is developing at an unprecedented speed and scale. Driven by western businessmen, the trade volume between China and the West in Guangzhou has greatly increased, but there is a profound crisis hidden under the flashy appearance. The 890-year-old policy of "one port trade" has had a tremendous negative impact on improving the competitiveness of China's coastal ports and international competitiveness. With the establishment of Guangzhou's monopoly industry status, the competition between coastal ports in China has lost the opportunity of competition and promotion; The vitality of Guangzhou's commercial culture is difficult to improve because of the existence of trade privileges; Officials are more accustomed to administrative coercion, rather than improving management to improve political achievements and increase foreign trade income; China lost the favorable opportunity to actively learn and adapt to new international relations.

Therefore, Guangzhou, where Goldberg has been, is a successful person who has won an overwhelming position in the port competition in China by relying on superior natural conditions, especially mature commercial civilization. It can be said that "Goldberg" witnessed an open, confident and energetic Guangzhou.