Description
Book SynopsisFocusing on the hybrid maritime world of Hong Kong, Pearl River Delta and West River in the last two decades of the late Qing period, this work tells a vivid trading and competition story of previously unknown private Chinese traders and junk masters. This challenges the prevailing view of the domination of China’s maritime trade by modern foreign steamships. Making use of unpublished Kowloon Maritime Customs and British diplomatic records in the late 19th and early 20th century, Henry Sze Hang Choi convincingly shows how these private Chinese traders flexibly adopted to the foreign-dominated maritime customs agencies and treaty port system in defending their Chinese homeland stronghold against the invasion of foreign economic power.
Table of ContentsContents Preface List of Maps, Illustrations, Tables and Diagrams Notes on English Spelling of Chinese Place Names Conversion Table of Currency 1 Introduction 2 Chinese Junks and Foreign Steamships in Canton River Delta 2.1 What were Chinese Junks? 2.2 Cost Differences between Junks, Steamships and Railway 2.3 The Maritime Trade of Canton River Delta and Hong Kong 2.4 Conclusion 3 The West River 3.1 The Survey Trips of the West River before Its Opening 3.2 James Legge’s Trip of the West River 3.3 Tourist Tours in Canton and the West River 3.4 The Unsolved Difficulties for Foreign Commercial Travelers 3.5 The Question of Inland Steam Navigation on the West River 3.6 The West River Trade 3.7 Conclusion 4 Hybrid Chinese Shipping: Foreign-Flagged Chinese Junks and Chinese Steam Tugs 4.1 The Establishment of the Kowloon Customs and the Regulation of Chinese Junks from 1887 4.2 The Problem of Foreign-Flagged Chinese Junks before the Mackay Treaty 4.3 The Mackay Treaty of 1902 4.4 The Continuous Plying of Foreign-Flagged Junks between Hong Kong and Canton after the Mackay Treaty 4.5 Foreign-Flagged Steamers in Chinese Waters 4.6 The Problems of Chinese Steam Launches and Steam Tugs 4.7 Case Study: Tai Li Steam Launch 4.8 Conclusion 5 Piracy and Shipping Strategies on the West River 5.1 Piracy on the West River 5.2 Measures to Suppress Piracy on the West River 5.3 The Case of S.S. Sainam Piracy 5.4 Conclusion 6 Epilogue: Years after 1910 Appendices A Revised Inland Steam Navigation Regulations, 1898 B The Excerpt of the Mackay Treaty, 1902 C Schedule A of Chinese Passengers Act of 1855 D Prospectus and Regulations of the Swatow Ch’ao-yang and Kit-yang Steam Launch Company Bibliography Index
