Ofício do mandarim sub-prefeito de Macau, Wei, ao procurador de Macau, sobre a concessão de licença comercial a um mercador inglês, de Cantão a Macau, para tratar do seu comércio e visitar os seus familiares
This archival document is an official Qing dynasty travel permit (yinzao) issued on the 19th day of the fourth lunar month in the nineteenth year of the Qianlong reign (1754), originating from the Guangzhou Prefect for Maritime Defence and Civil-Military Administration, Wei, and transmitted via the...
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| Format: | Manuscripts |
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| Published: |
1754-05-12
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| Subjects: |
British merchant John Agar
;
Chen Zhengbiao hong merchant
;
Guangzhou to Macau travel authorization
;
Macau Portuguese Authorities
;
Qing Dynasty travel permit
;
Wei Prefect of Maritime Defence
;
bǎojié guarantee system
;
custodial supervision
;
official interpreters tōngshì
;
settling accounts purpose
;
yinzao document
;
Manuscripts
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| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/FPQDTWUU/viewer_FPQDTWUU.html |
| Summary: | This archival document is an official Qing dynasty travel permit (yinzao) issued on the 19th day of the fourth lunar month in the nineteenth year of the Qianlong reign (1754), originating from the Guangzhou Prefect for Maritime Defence and Civil-Military Administration, Wei, and transmitted via the Office of Daily Administrative Affairs. It authorises John Agar, a British merchant, to travel from Guangzhou to Macau under strict regulatory conditions, accompanied by three male servants, for the purpose of settling accounts and residing temporarily at the residence of the Portuguese *yí mù* Louluoduo (Lorodo), with mandatory return to Guangzhou by the end of the fifth lunar month. The permit reflects the formal administrative framework governing foreign merchants’ movement between Guangzhou and Macau, requiring prior approval, verification by licensed Chinese hong merchants (here Chen Zhengbiao of the Zunfeng Hang) and official interpreters (tōngshì), submission of a formal guarantee (bǎojié), and dual oversight by the Guangdong Maritime Customs Office and the Macau Defence Office (*Àofáng Tīng*). It mandates verification of arrival date and personnel count by Portuguese authorities, custodial supervision by Louluoduo, and submission of a written acknowledgment (*gānjié*) upon expiry of the permitted stay. Endorsed by the Provincial Financial Commissioner (*Fānsī*) and Governor-General (*Dūbùyuàn*), the document exemplifies Qing bureaucratic control over Sino-foreign commercial interaction in the Canton System era and provides primary evidence of institutional procedures, jurisdictional coordination, and colonial-era administrative terminology. |
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