British images of the Chinese trader; 1865-1880

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the evolution of British images of the Chinese trader during the years 1865 to 1880 and to determine the factors which influenced these changing concepts. A careful examination of articles and editorials from the North China Herald, personal reminiscences, government publications and other primary and secondary sources prove that British opinion of the Chinese trader changed from the acceptance of certain "myths" of Sino-British commercial alliance in 1865, to a belief in 1880 that Chinese merchants imperiled Britain's Asian trade. British images of the Chinese merchant were influenced by the complexities of Sino-British diplomacy and by the rapid commercial innovations inspired by Europe's industrial revolution. Special attention had to be paid to the unique political and cultural setting of Shanghai, a port on the central coast of China. Shanghai's prolonged commercial predominance and wealth of published materials, including the North China Herald, made it the natural selection for a focal point in this study. The North China Herald was perhaps the finest British publication in Asia and was noted for its pro-mercantile attitude, even in the face of recurrent charges of racism. No European dealt more frequently with Chinese traders than did the treaty port merchants, so the pro-mercantile Herald represents an excellent source of information about British images of native traders