THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門

This article analyzes the role of the Portuguese merchant fleet based in Macao between the last quarter of the 17th century and the end of the 18th century (1684–1792) within the framework of China’s maritime trade expansion with Europe and Asia during the “long eighteenth century.” The central thes...

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Published in:Review of Culture
Main Author: George Bryan Souza
Format: Articles
Published: Instituto Cultural de Macau January 2005
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Online Access:https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40013/2320
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author George Bryan Souza
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container_title Review of Culture
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description This article analyzes the role of the Portuguese merchant fleet based in Macao between the last quarter of the 17th century and the end of the 18th century (1684–1792) within the framework of China’s maritime trade expansion with Europe and Asia during the “long eighteenth century.” The central thesis argues that, although Macao did not exhibit evident prosperity during this period, the continuous activity of Portuguese merchants and shipowners was decisive in opening, developing, expanding, and maintaining markets, while simultaneously inserting Macao into the network of rivalries and tensions among European traders and Asian commercial circuits. The study adopts a predominantly perspectival approach centered on the Portuguese community of Macao and, based on available historical evidence (with attention to gaps resulting from documentary loss), articulates discussions on: (i) Macao’s typology as a colonial port; (ii) urban political economy and its mechanisms for decision-making and conflict resolution; (iii) the behaviors of owners, operators, and investors, including the identification of ships, typologies, tonnage, and routes; and (iv) the general composition of goods circulated, contextualizing the relationship between navigation and hinterland in China’s modern economy. As a case study, the insertion of Portuguese trade in Batavia is examined in greater detail. It concludes that the Portuguese fleet was an integrated component of the Chinese maritime economy and mediated the flows of goods demanded in the Canton market.
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spelling THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
This article analyzes the role of the Portuguese merchant fleet based in Macao between the last quarter of the 17th century and the end of the 18th century (1684–1792) within the framework of China’s maritime trade expansion with Europe and Asia during the “long eighteenth century.” The central thesis argues that, although Macao did not exhibit evident prosperity during this period, the continuous activity of Portuguese merchants and shipowners was decisive in opening, developing, expanding, and maintaining markets, while simultaneously inserting Macao into the network of rivalries and tensions among European traders and Asian commercial circuits. The study adopts a predominantly perspectival approach centered on the Portuguese community of Macao and, based on available historical evidence (with attention to gaps resulting from documentary loss), articulates discussions on: (i) Macao’s typology as a colonial port; (ii) urban political economy and its mechanisms for decision-making and conflict resolution; (iii) the behaviors of owners, operators, and investors, including the identification of ships, typologies, tonnage, and routes; and (iv) the general composition of goods circulated, contextualizing the relationship between navigation and hinterland in China’s modern economy. As a case study, the insertion of Portuguese trade in Batavia is examined in greater detail. It concludes that the Portuguese fleet was an integrated component of the Chinese maritime economy and mediated the flows of goods demanded in the Canton market.
Instituto Cultural de Macau
Macau
Review of Culture
Articles
January 2005
George Bryan Souza
spellingShingle THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
George Bryan Souza
title THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
title_autocomplete THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
title_full THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
title_fullStr THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
title_full_unstemmed THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
title_short THE PORTUGUESE MERCHANT FLEET AT MACAO IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
title_sort the portuguese merchant fleet at macao in the 17th and 18th centuries17 - 18 世紀葡萄牙商船在澳門
url https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40013/2320
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