S01E08 Chinese Intellectuals Before the Opium War

Chinese Revolutions: A History Podcast

Chinese Scholarly Discussion of Foreign Trade, Before the Opium Wars

In this episode, we look at how Chinese scholars examined trade with foreign countries, prior to the First Opium War (1839-1842).

Chinese academia was extremely sophisticated, but it was aimed toward passing exams for the traditional Confucian civil service in China.

Bao Shichen (1775-1855)

One of the key scholars examining foreign trade was Bao Shichen, from Anhui province. He passed the provincial level exams, but he never passed the national-level exams. He turned his attention to "statecraft" studies, including subjects like agriculture and military studies.

He influenced a whole generation of scholars working for higher-level officials, who in turn influenced higher policy.

Chinese Analysis of Foreign Trade

Officials with experience in Canton would not take such a hard line as closing all trade with foreign powers, but they were all concerned with the opium trade draining silver out of China.

They were able to correctly deduce that trade was the main thing foreigners wanted from China. They also noted the superiority of British naval power and highly advanced British naval artillery.

Many of the themes picked up in this episode will return when we look at how China responded to the Opium Wars.

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