Canton System
E579839
The Canton System was an 18th–19th century Chinese trade regime that restricted foreign commerce to the port of Guangzhou (Canton) under strict imperial control, shaping early Western economic relations with China.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Qianlong Emperor asserted China’s self-sufficiency | 1 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Chinese imperial policy
ⓘ
monopoly trading regime ⓘ trade system ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Canton trade system
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Guangzhou System NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
Guangzhou
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pearl River Delta NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| causeOf |
growth of illicit opium trade
ⓘ
tensions between Qing China and Western powers ⓘ |
| country | Qing dynasty NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| currency | silver ⓘ |
| endTime | 1842 ⓘ |
| enforcedBy |
Hoppo
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
imperial customs authorities ⓘ |
| goal |
limit foreign influence in China
ⓘ
maintain imperial control over foreign trade ⓘ |
| hasPart |
Cohong monopoly
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Hoppo supervision ⓘ Thirteen Factories district NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod |
18th century
ⓘ
early 19th century ⓘ |
| implementedBy | Qianlong Emperor NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | early Sino-Western economic relations ⓘ |
| location |
Canton
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Pearl River NERFINISHED ⓘ South China Sea region NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainParticipants |
American merchants
ⓘ
British merchants ⓘ Cohong merchants NERFINISHED ⓘ Portuguese merchants ⓘ |
| mainPort | Guangzhou NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| majorExport |
porcelain
ⓘ
silk ⓘ tea ⓘ |
| majorImport |
opium
ⓘ
silver bullion ⓘ |
| regulates |
American trade with China
ⓘ
European trade with China ⓘ foreign maritime trade ⓘ |
| replacedBy | Treaty port system ⓘ |
| significantEvent |
First Opium War
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Treaty of Nanjing NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| startTime | 1757 ⓘ |
| tradeRegulation |
foreign trade conducted only through Cohong
ⓘ
foreigners barred from learning Chinese language formally ⓘ foreigners confined to factory compound ⓘ foreigners prohibited from entering Guangzhou city walls ⓘ trade limited to specific trading season ⓘ |
| tradeRestrictedFrom | other Chinese ports ⓘ |
| tradeRestrictedTo | Guangzhou NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Qianlong Emperor asserted China’s self-sufficiency