TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟
This article investigates the commercial interactions between Western merchants and Cantonese retail traders within the context of Sino-European trade from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, arguing that the "logic of exchange" depended both on the strategies of foreign merchants and—decisive...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40054/2268 |
| _version_ | 1877196269924909056 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| author_autocomplete | Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| author_browse | Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| author_facet | Maria Kar - Wing Mok Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| author_sort | Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 54 |
| container_volume_str | 54 |
| description | This article investigates the commercial interactions between Western merchants and Cantonese retail traders within the context of Sino-European trade from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, arguing that the "logic of exchange" depended both on the strategies of foreign merchants and—decisively—on the agency of the shopkeepers of Canton. Rather than treating purchasing as a mere offshoot of imperial policies and the structures of the chartered trading companies (EIC, VOC, DAC, SOIC), the author shifts the focus to the everyday practices of intermediation, commodity selection, negotiation, and the circulation of information carried out in the urban space of Canton, particularly after the centralization of foreign trade in the port/city from 1757 onward.
Methodologically, the analysis is anchored in documentary archival sources and historiographical references, articulating European records (including documentation and correspondence associated with trade) with evidence on contracts, logistical routines, and narratives of transactions. As results, the study demonstrates that "local vendors" functioned as commercial nodes connecting global maritime networks to regional supply chains, enabling the regularity of orders and sustaining the continuity of trade. It concludes that shopkeepers contributed to transforming the act of buying ("trading with traders") into a social technology of trust, opportunity, and cultural adaptation. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:59Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | 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 | 2026-09-11T02:56:59Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:59Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
| publisherStr | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 This article investigates the commercial interactions between Western merchants and Cantonese retail traders within the context of Sino-European trade from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, arguing that the "logic of exchange" depended both on the strategies of foreign merchants and—decisively—on the agency of the shopkeepers of Canton. Rather than treating purchasing as a mere offshoot of imperial policies and the structures of the chartered trading companies (EIC, VOC, DAC, SOIC), the author shifts the focus to the everyday practices of intermediation, commodity selection, negotiation, and the circulation of information carried out in the urban space of Canton, particularly after the centralization of foreign trade in the port/city from 1757 onward. Methodologically, the analysis is anchored in documentary archival sources and historiographical references, articulating European records (including documentation and correspondence associated with trade) with evidence on contracts, logistical routines, and narratives of transactions. As results, the study demonstrates that "local vendors" functioned as commercial nodes connecting global maritime networks to regional supply chains, enabling the regularity of orders and sustaining the continuity of trade. It concludes that shopkeepers contributed to transforming the act of buying ("trading with traders") into a social technology of trust, opportunity, and cultural adaptation. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles 2017 Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| spellingShingle | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 Maria Kar - Wing Mok |
| title | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| title_autocomplete | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| title_full | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| title_fullStr | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| title_full_unstemmed | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| title_short | TRADING WITH TRADERS :THE WONDERS OF CANTONESE SHOPKEEPERS與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| title_sort | trading with traders :the wonders of cantonese shopkeepers與西方貿易商交易：廣東店主的奇蹟 |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40054/2268 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |