In 1793, the King of England sent a mission under Lord Macartney to China to open regular diplomatic and commercial relations with China. The King instructed Macartney to deliver a letter tothe Emperor requesting, among other things, that the English be allowed to have an ambassador(also referred to as an "envoy") who would live in the Chinese capital and who would help repre-sent and protect the interests of British merchants doing business in China and thus facilitate trade between the two countries. The following response from the Emperor Qianlong (r. 1736-1795)illustrates the Chinese attitude toward international relations and foreigners.

Concepts

british imperialism

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Additional Tags

early american trade with china: emperor quianlong's response, emperor quianlong, imperialism in east asia (1800 to 1914)

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Classroom Considerations

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