Entrepot Trade Of Hong Kong Toward China During The Late Qing Period (1869-1911)

The geographical structure of the foreign trade in China changed greatly during the late Qing period, Shanghai, instead of Canton (Guangzhou), became the new trade pivot of China gradually. Along the coast of China, Hong Kong was the only one port that held an equal position in contrast to Shanghai. Such a situation lay in the excellent geographical site and the broad trade partners of Hong Kong. The rise of Hong Kong entrepot trade had great influence on the coastal regions especially on the southern and southwestern part of China. This article set its start point at the end of 1860s when the entrepot trade of Hong Kong had already stepped into its flourish stage, and clarifies the role which Hong Kong played in the entrepot trade by its traditional and modern traffic, financial and commercial nets. On the other hand, the prosperity of entrepot trade also promoted the boom of urban economy of Hong Kong, and made it the leading part of extroverted economy in the coastal regions of China especially to the southern and southwestern parts.However, there left much blank on the theme of Hong Kong's foreign trade in the historical circle. This article aims to make a more broad and deep research though historical, economic and geographical method on the backgrounds of former studies.First, the article makes clear the geographical difference toward various trade objects and the general characters of Hong Kong entrepot trade. According to the sum of trade values, I arranged the sequence of top 10 major trade partners of Hong Kong. And then, label the characteristic goods of different regions. For example, the minerals trade of Yunnan, the mountainous products trade of Guangxi, the instant products and the heavy products trade of Guangdong, the major household commodity and overseas Chinese products of Fujian, the camphor trade of Taiwan, the diversified products of Shanghai, the ammunition and machine products of Tianjin, the ginseng trade of Yantai, the bean products, sugar and metal trade of Manchuria were all typical toward Hong Kong in different regions. After this, I conclude the five common features of Hong Kong entrepot trade toward China. In the following chapters, this article divides into four regions i.e. the two Guang provinces, the Min-Zhe-Tai provinces, the southwestern regions and the northern provinces, and makes deep researches on the exact trade course between Hong Kong and these provinces. At the final chapter, this article touch the local effects of entrepot trade on Hong Kong itself, which includes the rise of shipping industry, the formation of financial center, the prosperity of many kinds of Chinese firms and the development of urban economy.After restore the realities of past entrepot of Hong Kong as possible as I can, this article would make some discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of foreign trade, the market factors, the predominate power of business and the clues of the economic modernization of China held by different scholars.