A Study On Trade Of Medicinal Materials Between Canton And Western Countries In Early Qing Dynasty,1684-1840

With the rapid development of traditional Chinese medicine in the early Qing Dynasty,the market of medicinal materials in many domestic cities also gradually expanded and prospered,and formed a circulation network with mutual connections.Among these cities,Canton was particularly critical because of its geographical location.It was not only the distribution center of medicinal materials in southern China,but also an important port of overseas trade of medicinal materials.Medicinal herbs from various provinces in China were transported by land and water to the Canton market,then waited for Western merchants to buy them.In the eyes of Western merchants,medicinal herbs had the medicinal value of treating diseases,and can be used as spices,dyes and pigments,and can fill the excess space of cargo carried by merchant ships.In the early Qing Dynasty,western merchant ships going to Canton would often purchase appropriate amounts of medicinal herbs on their way back,and the trade of medicinal herbs between China and West was relatively active during this period.Overseas trade of Canton medicinal materials in early Qing Dynasty can be roughly divided into three stages.At the beginning of the establishment of Guangdong Custom,Britain and France had not established a stable trade relationship with Canton,Holland,Sweden and Denmark did not send merchant ships to Canton for the first time until around the 1830 s.The trade of medicinal materials in Canton was in its initial stage of development during the reigns of Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors.During the reign of Qianlong emperor,China’s social and economic development reached its peak,and Western countries’ trade with China was also in its golden age.Britain,Holland and France continued to send merchant ships to Canton for trade,while Sweden and Denmark had stable trade with Canton.Subsequently,America also sent merchant ships to Canton for the first time in 1784,and quickly rose to become an important role of Canton port.Correspondingly,the overseas trade of medicinal materials was in a stable stage during the reign of Qianlong emperor.Subsequently,during the years of Jiaqing and Daoguang emperors,the overseas trade of medicinal materials was in its transition stage,and the trade of medicinal materials between the East India Companies and Canton was on the decline.Country merchants and American merchants were increasingly important in Canton ports,and eventually became the main roles in the overseas trade of medicinal materials before the Opium War.In the early Qing Dynasty,there were two kinds of overseas trade of medicinal materials: import and export.On the one hand,various medicinal materials from India and Southeast Asia,such as olibanum,myrrh,costustoot and pepper,were mainly transported to Canton market by British and Dutch merchant ships.On the other hand,more than ten kinds of medicinal materials were exported overseas,such as rhubarb,China root,galangal,sago and so on.They left Canton with western merchant ships,crossed the Indian Ocean,the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean,and then arrived in Southeast Asia,India,Europe,America and other overseas areas,forming their unique overseas circulation road to some extent.