what was the goal of the macartney embassy

The Macartney Embassy

is one of the British and European embassies sent during the eighteenth century to establish official relations with the Middle Kingdom, their specific goal to enhance commercial exchanges and a presence within China; at least, in the ports.

Full Answer

What was the purpose of the Macartney Embassy in China?

Macartney Embassy. The goals of the mission included the opening of new ports for British trade in China, the establishment of a permanent embassy in Beijing, the cession of a small island for British use along China's coast, and the relaxation of trade restrictions on British merchants in Guangzhou (Canton).

Was the Macartney Embassy a success or failure?

Although the Macartney Embassy returned to London without obtaining any concession from China, the mission could be termed a success in that it brought back detailed observations of a great empire. The painter William Alexander accompanied the embassy, and published numerous engravings based on his watercolours.

What was the purpose of the MaCartney Mission?

The Macartney mission was deputed to collect information on Chinese government, society, and people. In keeping with this instruction, the mission brought back detailed observations of China. The painter William Alexander published numerous engravings based on his watercolors. George Staunton produced the official account of the expedition.

What were the goals of the British Embassy in China?

The goals of the mission included the opening of new ports for British trade in China, the establishment of a permanent embassy in Beijing, the cession of a small island for British use along China's coast, and the relaxation of trade restrictions on British merchants in Guangzhou (Canton).

What was the purpose of the Macartney mission?

The Macartney mission was deputed to collect information on Chinese government, society, and people. In keeping with this instruction, the mission brought back detailed observations of China. The painter William Alexander published numerous engravings based on his watercolors.

When did the Macartney mission happen?

One of the most famous British attempts to expand trade with China demonstrates the miscommunication between the two nations. Lord Macartney (George Macartney, 1737-1806) led a mission in 1793 to the court of the Qianlong emperor (1711-1799; r. 1736-1796) of China.

Why did Diplomatic Missions like Lord Macartney's mission in 1793 ultimately fail?

1735–1796), the embassy has generally been considered a failure because all of the requests made by Lord Macartney were rejected flatly by the Chinese Emperor. After delivering the letter from King George and after a couple of brief meetings with Qianlong, Macartney had to leave the Chinese capital hastily.

Why did Lord Macartney give a letter from King George III to Qian Long?

Macartney presents a letter from George III to Emperor Qianlong, seeking to secure diplomatic relations and improved trade conditions with Qing China.

Why did China reject offers from the West?

China and the West China was able to reject these offers from the West because it was largely self- sufficient. The basis of this self-sufficiency was China's healthy agricultural econ- omy. During the 11th century, China had acquired a quick-growing strain of rice from Southeast Asia.

Why did the Chinese emperor reject foreign goods?

The Chinese believed that other countries apart from theirs was not as advanced as they were. They were not interested in British imports/ goods; however, they were pleased when tea became popular in Britain.

Are there any Chinese royalty left?

Jin Yuzhang (Chinese: 金毓嶂, born 3 May 1942) is a Chinese civil servant, politician and former nobleman. He is the current head of the House of Aisin-Gioro, Chinese Monarchy's former ruling house.

How did the Qing emperor respond to Britain's diplomatic mission?

How did the Qing emperor respond to Britain's diplomatic mission? Lord Macartney and the Qing emperor discussed Britain's requests and agreed on increased trade.

How did the Chinese view their emperor?

In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heaven and the autocrat of all under Heaven. Under the Han dynasty, Confucianism replaced Legalism as the official political theory and succession in most cases theoretically followed agnatic primogeniture.

What was the Qianlong Emperor trying to accomplish?

He conducted a series of military campaigns that eliminated the Turk and Mongol threats to northeastern China (1755–60), enlarged his empire by creating the New Province (the present-day Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang), and reinforced Chinese authority in the south and east.

What was Korea's main reason for choosing isolation?

Korea wanted to keep isolated because of the previous invasions they had be destroyed by. In the 1500s, Japanese invaded: The Koreans had to make "turtle ships" that could sail straight into the Japanese ships, Japan finally withdrew, but Korea was still left devastated; economy, politics, and culture/society.

What was China's main reason for rejecting British offers of trade?

What were China's main reasons for rejecting British offered of trade? China believed it was self sufficient and didn't need outside sources.

How did the Qing emperor respond to Britain's diplomatic mission?

How did the Qing emperor respond to Britain's diplomatic mission? Lord Macartney and the Qing emperor discussed Britain's requests and agreed on increased trade.

What did the Treaty of Nanjing say?

Treaty of Nanjing, (August 29, 1842) treaty that ended the first Opium War, the first of the unequal treaties between China and foreign imperialist powers. China paid the British an indemnity, ceded the territory of Hong Kong, and agreed to establish a “fair and reasonable” tariff.

Why did the Chinese limit trade with foreigners to the port of Canton?

Popular trade goods were tea, porcelain and fabric. The Chinese were skeptical of foreign powers, and trading was restricted to certain ports, one of which was Canton. The Chinese government saw this port as a major trading hub and felt that it needed to be controlled tightly to limit the influence of the foreigners.

What is kowtow in Chinese?

kowtow, also spelled kotow, Chinese (Pinyin) keitou or (Wade-Giles romanization) k'o-t'ou, in traditional China, the act of supplication made by an inferior to his superior by kneeling and knocking his head to the floor.

What was the purpose of the Macartney Mission?

The goal of the embassy was to convince Chinese Emperor Qianlong to ease restrictions on trade between Great Britain and China by allowing Great Britain to have a permanent embassy in Beijing, possession of "a small unfortified island near Chusan for the residence of English traders, storage of goods, and outfitting of ships," and reduced tariffs on traders in Guangzhou.

Why was the Macartney embassy in China?

The Macartney Embassy is one of the British and European embassies sent during the eighteenth century to establish official relations with the Middle Kingdom, their specific goal to enhance commercial exchanges and a presence within China; at least, in the ports. Such an Embassy at the end of the eighteenth century, which represented a turning point in East-West relations, was no ordinary Embassy and had much impact on future developments. Therefore, it requires a study of the historical background and of the attitudes of the representatives involved in the encounter.

Why did the British set up another embassy in 1816?

In consequence of this failure the British set another embassy that of Lord Amherst in 1816, with the hope of establishing direct relations between the two governments and better trade conditions. The long delay until 1816 is explained by the fact that Europe had to confront its own problems with the outbreak of the Napoleon's wars on the continent and the blockade of England by Napoleon and numerous naval battles as well between England and France.

Who sent the Earl of Macartney on his mission?

The decision to dispatch the Earl of Macartney on his mission was made by the British government; indeed, the court of directors of the East India Company were apprehensive … of losing the greater in demanding redress for the less but they offered no opposition; and the embassy sailed from Portsmouth on September 26th 1792 and arrived at Taku at the mouth of the Tientsin river on August 5th 1793. Its reception was in marked contrast with that of any of the previous Portuguese or Dutch embassies and this can be only explained by the dignified bearing, as of a royal envoy, assumed by Lord Macartney himself, and his avoidance of any appearance of being a mere commercial emissary. [3]

Who came to meet the Emperor with the conviction of a European superiority?

There were responsibilities on both sides. On one hand, Lord Macartney came to meet the emperor with the conviction of a European superiority:

Why did the Emperor write a poem about the embassy?

The Emperor was flattered that an embassy had traveled so far to bring ‘tribute’. His world view had not changed, China was the center of the civilized world and rumors of his eminence had reached yet farther, Qianlong wrote a poem about the embassy after their first meeting:

Why did the English India Company want to do a grand trade mission?

The English India Company hoped that a grand trade mission would so impress the Chinese that they would acquiesce to their demands. Previous missions had been based on missionaries ( Matteo Ricci) or governments. Although it was a government-backed initiative carrying a message from King George III, the huge cost of £78,000 was paid for by the EIC (maybe £50 million in value now). A delegation from a private company was something incomprehensible to the Chinese.

What was Britain's sense of superiority?

Britain’s growing sense of superiority was tied to ruling both the waves and India. Britain had only recently achieved pre-eminence in world trade by sea. In terms of sea area controlled this was probably greater than China’s land area. Many major trading ports had become dependent on British trade.

Who painted Macau?

Macau. Painted by the official artist to the Macartney British Embassy to China 1793-94. Image by William Alexander ➚ available under a Creative Commons License ➚. It had to be very careful with its relations with China in case this would reflect badly in India.

Did Macartney know about China?

Britain’s presence on China’s periphery was beginning to be felt and their motives were shrouded with suspicion of hostile intent. The fact that Macartney genuinely did not know of the contact made between British and Chinese in Nepal made him look mendacious. The embassy was closely studied during their whole visit.

Why was the Earl Macartney mission important?

By all accounts, the Earl Macartney mission is historically significant because it marked a turning point in the relationship between China and the Western powers. On the one hand, China missed an opportunity to establish a normal diplomatic relationship with Great Britain and move toward greater trade with the Western world, which could lead to its industrialization. This failure to industrialize would come to ceaselessly plague China as it had to face increasing foreign pressures and internal unrest during the nineteenth century. On the other hand, as the British left desperately searching for other ways to balance a massive trade deficit fueled by its demand for tea and other Chinese products, it started to grow opium in India to sell in China, which eventually gave rise to the Opium War between China and Great Britain from 1840 to 1842.

What was the purpose of the Macartney mission?

The Macartney mission was deputed to collect information on Chinese government, society, and people. In keeping with this instruction, the mission brought back detailed observations of China. The painter William Alexander published numerous engravings based on his watercolors. George Staunton produced the official account of the expedition. Earl Macartney and expedition commander Erasmus Gower wrote multi-volume works. And Joseph Banks selected and arranged engravings of the illustrations for the official record. The extensive cultural, political, and geographical observations the mission participants recorded during their trip are extremely valuable materials for scholars and researchers in China studies.

What is the Macartney Collection?

It is a new digitization of a fascinating resource – letters, books, sketches and journals relating to the important Macartney mission from George III to the Chinese Emperor Qianlong in 1792–1794. The Charles Wason Collection at Cornell is the largest collection of material on this event held in one place, covering a period from 1784 to 1916. This valuable piece of Anglo-Chinese history is now available in Gale’s Archives Unbound programme, where it sits alongside collections such as Papers of the British Consulates and Legation in China (1722–1951), the Chinese Recorder and the Protestant Missionary Community in China, 1867–1941. Below Dr. Liren Zheng, curator of the collection at Cornell University Library, explains the importance of both the eighteenth-century mission and the accumulation of this material into one holding.

What was the purpose of the trip of Wason and his wife?

This trip served to begin Wason’s strong interest in China, Chinese people, and Chinese culture.

Was the Macartney mission futile?

The Macartney mission was generally regarded as futile; all of its requests were rejected by Emperor Qianlong. The failure of this diplomatic encounter between China and Great Britain could be attributed to both sides.

Who produced the official account of the expedition?

George Staunton produced the official account of the expedition. Earl Macartney and expedition commander Erasmus Gower wrote multi-volume works. And Joseph Banks selected and arranged engravings of the illustrations for the official record.

Who led the first British delegation to China?

This mission led by Earl Macartney was the first British diplomatic delegation to China. The real goals of this mission were as follows: