Chapter 44 "Fantasy in Guangzhou" and others

"Fantasy in Guangzhou" and others The author of The Fan Kwaeat Canton (William C. Hunter is an American, one of the Americans who came to China for business very early.According to Koning in "China According to the National Dictionary, Hunt came to Guangzhou from New York in 1825, and worked for the American Merchants Qichang Foreign Trade Co., Ltd. Died in 1891.Author of two books, one is "Fantasy Ghosts in Guangzhou" and the other is "Ancient Bits of Old China".The former was published in 1882 and the latter in 1885. When the author was doing business in Guangzhou, it was still the era of the so-called public bank system, and as far back as the Qing Dynasty, he was forced to cooperate with other countries.

Before the formal signing of the trade treaty.Therefore, regarding the situation of foreign businessmen doing business in Guangzhou at that time, the Chinese market People's impressions of them and their understanding of China are rich in information in Hunt's works. Because it is the recollection of the author's personal experience, even if there are some exaggerations or distortions in the book, they are still in today's history. It is still very useful to understand the situation of foreign merchants in Guangzhou before the Opium War. From the book "Fan Gui in China", we can also find a noteworthy character.

His name is Fullerton. According to himself, he is an employee of the East India Company. Tuo came to China together on the "Citizen" ship. After the ship arrived at Lingdingyang, he took a speedboat to Macau first. It was later said that he took two women with little feet from China, brought them to Calcutta, and went with them to London, dedicate this Chinese "Golden Lotus" to George IV to see.This anecdote is among other outsiders' It is often mentioned in the works of China's knowledge, and its source is in this book. The narration of "Fan Gui in Guangzhou" lasts until 1844.The author said that after the Opium War

After the Manchu Qing signed five-port trade treaties with foreign countries, foreign businessmen had already won equality or even advantages in China. Therefore, the era of "Fan Gui" is over. Another book by Hunt, "A Little Bit of Ancient China", was published in 1882 and was written by more than sixty It is a collection of short essays, which are longer than "Fan Gui in Guangzhou", and the content is about the outsiders living in Guangzhou at that time. The Chinese customs and customs that I have seen, and the impressions of Guangzhou citizens on "Fan Gui".From this book,

We have access to portraits of some of China's most primitive "compradors" and "servants".in both books There are quite a few narratives about the Guangzhou Commercial Hall and the Thirteen Banks, which have become the most reliable sources for research on this issue so far. material.