Macartney Embassy of 1793

E406603

The Macartney Embassy of 1793 was the first British diplomatic mission to China, led by Lord George Macartney to the court of the Qianlong Emperor in an unsuccessful attempt to expand trade and establish formal relations.

All labels observed (4)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf British embassy to China
diplomatic mission
arrivalRegion Tianjin
surface form: Tianjin area
ceremonialIssue Macartney refused to perform full kowtow before Qianlong Emperor
kowtow controversy
countryOfOrigin Great Britain
destination Qing dynasty
surface form: Qing China
destinationCity Beijing
destinationCourt Imperial court of the Qianlong Emperor
surface form: court of the Qianlong Emperor
documentedIn George Staunton’s official account of the embassy
John Barrow’s later writings on China
Qianlong Emperor’s letter to King George III
endTime 1794
giftExchange British scientific instruments and manufactured goods presented to Qianlong
historicalSignificance early high-level contact between Britain and Qing China
first formal British diplomatic mission to the Qing court
illustrated clash between European diplomacy and Qing tributary system
often seen as a prelude to later Anglo-Chinese conflicts
includedOfficial Sir George Staunton
surface form: George Leonard Staunton

James Dinwiddie
John Barrow
Thomas Staunton
William Alexander
language English
leader Lord Macartney
surface form: George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney
negotiationLanguage Chinese
Latin
organizedBy British East India Company
Government of the Kingdom of Great Britain
surface form: British government
outcome failure to secure major concessions from the Qing court
no formal treaty concluded
politicalContext Qing dynasty high Qing era
reign of the Qianlong Emperor
purpose establish formal diplomatic relations between Britain and China
expand British trade with China
negotiate a commercial treaty
obtain a small island near Zhoushan for British use
open additional Chinese ports to British trade
relax restrictions on British merchants at Canton
secure a permanent British diplomatic residence in Beijing
QingResponse Canton System
surface form: Qianlong Emperor asserted China’s self-sufficiency

Qianlong Emperor rejected British requests for expanded trade
receivedBy Qianlong Emperor
relatedTo British–Chinese relations
Canton System
Lord Amherst Embassy of 1816
Opium Wars
route sailed from Britain around the Cape of Good Hope to China
significantYear 1793
startTime 1792

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Qianlong Emperor notableEvent Macartney Embassy of 1793
Lord Macartney familyName Macartney Embassy of 1793
this entity surface form: Macartney
Lord Macartney notableWork Macartney Embassy of 1793
this entity surface form: Macartney Embassy to China
Lord Macartney notableEvent Macartney Embassy of 1793
this entity surface form: Macartney Embassy to the Qianlong Emperor (1792–1794)