ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程
Leonard Blussé's article reassesses the little-studied figure of Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1739–1801), a Dutch merchant and observer within the context of the dynamic Luso-Sino-European trade of the eighteenth century, arguing that his trajectory—marked by ambition, reversals, and an i...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40028/3638 |
| _version_ | 1877196270736506880 |
|---|---|
| author | Leonard Blussé |
| author_autocomplete | Leonard Blussé |
| author_browse | Leonard Blussé |
| author_facet | Leonard Blussé Leonard Blussé |
| author_sort | Leonard Blussé |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 28 |
| container_volume_str | 28 |
| description | Leonard Blussé's article reassesses the little-studied figure of Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1739–1801), a Dutch merchant and observer within the context of the dynamic Luso-Sino-European trade of the eighteenth century, arguing that his trajectory—marked by ambition, reversals, and an intense accumulation of artifacts and accounts—allows for an understanding of broader processes in the history of commerce in Canton and the transnational circulation of goods, knowledge, and prestige. Blussé employs a method of documentary "collage," combining archival sources from the Netherlands (including personal manuscripts and materials from Van Braam's brother), texts produced by the subject himself, and information recovered from local collections in the United States by descendants and historians linked to his family. The analysis also incorporates the subsequent reception of the "mission account" to the court of the Qianlong Emperor (1794–1795), frequently reissued in European versions through translations and adaptations. As findings, the author contends that Van Braam should be read both as an economic actor and as a private chronicler: his narratives and collections, despite the moralizing interpretations of contemporaries, reveal the internal logics of the VOC's commercial policy and the material conditions of cultural mediation between Europe and China. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:55Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
| genre_facet | Articles |
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| hierarchy_parent_title | Review of Culture |
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| hierarchy_top_title | News |
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| issn | 1682-1106 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:55Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:55Z |
| publishDate | October 2008 |
| publishDateRange | 2008 |
| publishDateSort | 2008 |
| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
| publisherStr | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 Leonard Blussé's article reassesses the little-studied figure of Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1739–1801), a Dutch merchant and observer within the context of the dynamic Luso-Sino-European trade of the eighteenth century, arguing that his trajectory—marked by ambition, reversals, and an intense accumulation of artifacts and accounts—allows for an understanding of broader processes in the history of commerce in Canton and the transnational circulation of goods, knowledge, and prestige. Blussé employs a method of documentary "collage," combining archival sources from the Netherlands (including personal manuscripts and materials from Van Braam's brother), texts produced by the subject himself, and information recovered from local collections in the United States by descendants and historians linked to his family. The analysis also incorporates the subsequent reception of the "mission account" to the court of the Qianlong Emperor (1794–1795), frequently reissued in European versions through translations and adaptations. As findings, the author contends that Van Braam should be read both as an economic actor and as a private chronicler: his narratives and collections, despite the moralizing interpretations of contemporaries, reveal the internal logics of the VOC's commercial policy and the material conditions of cultural mediation between Europe and China. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles October 2008 Leonard Blussé |
| spellingShingle | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 Leonard Blussé |
| title | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| title_autocomplete | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| title_full | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| title_fullStr | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| title_full_unstemmed | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| title_short | ANDREAS EVERARDUS VAN BRAAM HOUCKGEEST, OR THE OPTIMISTIC ADVENTURES OF A DUTCHMAN IN CHINA荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| title_sort | andreas everardus van braam houckgeest, or the optimistic adventures of a dutchman in china荷蘭人範巴瀾的中國冒險旅程 |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40028/3638 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |