THE STUDY OF PARSEE MERCHANTS IN CANTON, HONG KONG AND MACAO
This article argues that Parsees were central to the modernization of China—notably in Canton, Hong Kong, and Macao—through mercantile networks, the opium trade, and Sino-Western relations, yet their role remains neglected in Chinese historiography and only partially treated in Western scholarship....
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2003
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40008/3880 |
| Summary: | This article argues that Parsees were central to the modernization of China—notably in Canton, Hong Kong, and Macao—through mercantile networks, the opium trade, and Sino-Western relations, yet their role remains neglected in Chinese historiography and only partially treated in Western scholarship. The central claim is that this neglect stems from the instability and ambiguity of referring terms for “Parsee” in Qing-dynasty sources, which obscures by-name identifications of individuals and families across multilingual archives. To remedy this, Guo Deyan proposes a source-critical, cross-linguistic method: first examine Western-language records, then systematically sift Chinese-language materials from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao to identify specific Parsees and their family networks, rather than treating them as a homogeneous foreign category or as mere participants in broad events. The study emphasizes the importance of tracing proper names within Qing documents, which more reliably indicate Parsee presence than generic labels.
Methodologically, the article combines Chinese archival materials with Western sources, including translations and references in British parliamentary papers, and supplements textual evidence with material-culture data (e.g., Parsee cemetery inscriptions) to illuminate the mercantile landscape.
Key conclusions stress that, once names and lineages are reconstructed, Parsees appear as active agents in port-town economies, with meaningful involvement in trade, shipping, and the opium era—an insight that enlarges Macao’s minority history and calls for standardized, name-centered approaches in future research. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |