Haddad, John Rogers.
Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 2013.
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Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [235]-273) and index.
- In 1784, when Americans first voyaged to China, they confronted Chinese authorities who were unaware that the United States even existed. Nevertheless, a long, complicated, and fruitful trade relationship was born after American traders, missionaries, diplomats, and others sailed to China with lofty ambitions: to acquire fabulous wealth, convert China to Christianity, and even command a Chinese army. In America’s First Adventure in China, John Haddad provides a colorful history of the evolving cultural exchange and interactions between these countries. He recounts how American expatriates adopted a pragmatic attitude–as well as an entrepreneurial spirit and improvisational approach–to their dealings with the Chinese. Haddad shows how opium played a potent role in the dreams of Americans who either smuggled it or opposed its importation, and he considers the missionary movement that compelled individuals to accept a hard life in an alien culture. As a result of their efforts, Americans achieved a favorable outcome–they established a unique presence in China–and cultivated a relationship whose complexities continue to grow. –Publisher’s website.
- First contact : the voyage of the empress of China — System men : the rise of Perkins & Co. — All for a cup of tea : finding goods for the Canton market — Beachhead of God : the first wave of missionaries — Rising on smoke : opium and identity in Canton — Formal ties : the Caleb Cushing mission — Centrifugal force : the spread of people, goods, capital, and ideas — Heavenly war : Americans and the Taiping rebellion — Cooperation : Burlingame and the reinvention of Sino-western relations.
Subjects:
- United States — Relations — China.
- China — Relations — United States.
- United States — Commerce — China — History — 18th century.
- China — Commerce — United States — History — 18th century.
- United States — Commerce — China — History — 19th century.
- China — Commerce — United States — History — 19th century.
- Opium trade — China — History — 19th century.
- Missions, American — China — History — 19th century.
- China — History — Opium War, 1840-1842.
- China — History — Taiping Rebellion, 1850-1864.
Requested by Lansing, M.