Why did the Qing Dynasty prohibit foreign merchants from bringing their wives and daughters into the country?

Why did the Qing Dynasty prohibit foreign merchants from bringing their wives and daughters into the country?

In the early years of Qianlong, the Qing Dynasty set up ports in Guangzhou, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu to trade with foreign countries. These expatriate women, scantily clad and misbehaving, often holding hands, laughing, and even kissing men in the street, and especially hatefully, the "lady first" mentality is reflected everywhere in Western customs.

Their behavior made the Chinese women who were still wrapped in their little feet feel like they were washed away by a storm ideologically, which made the Qing court of male superiority and inferiority embarrassing?

The lively and shocking scene was recorded by the Englishman Hunter in his book "Ghosts in Guangzhou": "At half past nine o'clock in the evening, we accompanied the women to the outside streets to visit the streets. At this time, the shops were closed for rest, but several Chinese passing by saw them and suddenly shouted: "Fan Ghost Mother!" Immediately, the doors of each house opened, and lanterns shone out, and in less than ten minutes we were completely surrounded, and they had to retreat quickly. ”

Conservative Qing officials therefore regarded Western women as predators.

In addition, the Qing government, which lacked economic theory, believed that doing business with foreigners was only beneficial to foreigners, and that China was not profitable. In trade with Westerners, Westerners could not only enjoy tea, ceramics and other good things produced in China, but also a large amount of silver from China's treasury flowed out of the country in vain. The best way to put an end to this is to close treaty ports.

It was under the domination of this kind of thinking that three of the four ports were closed, leaving only one in Guangzhou. Until the last port is closed, the best thing to do is to prohibit foreign merchants from bringing their daughters to China. If their families are not in China, these foreign businessmen will not stay in China for long and will eventually leave China as soon as possible. In this way, China's silver was preserved, and China's inherent feudal ethical order was preserved.

In the tenth year of Qianlong (1745 AD), with the acquiescence of Qianlong, all parts of China strictly prevented Western female dependents from entering the local residence, and formed local regulations.

Lorian, a Dutch merchant, had to endure the pain of being separated from his wife and children for a long time after chasing waves across the sea. Luo Lian was quick-witted and diligent, and his business grew bigger and bigger, and later, he owned a large sailing ship weighing 600 tons, the Seahorse. Since Luo Lian owned the huge "Seahorse", it has become possible to come to China with his wife and children.

Luo Lian's wife, Jenny, is a China fan who yearns for the mysterious country of the East. Luo Lian and Jenny also have two bright and lively daughters, and under the influence of their parents, they are also often noisy to go to the mythical China to take a walk and see. Luo Lian brought his wife and daughter to China this time, and he was really lucky.

In October of the 15th year of Qianlong (1750 AD), the "Seahorse" anchored from the port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, bypassed the Cape of Good Hope, and drifted on the sea for ten months, and finally came to the waters of Guangzhou.

When going up the Pearl River, Jenny and her two daughters stood on the side of the boat, looking at the banks of the Pearl River lined with masts and flying colorful flags, cheering and cheering.

The "Haima" sailed into the inland river, and the inspectors flew to report to the Guangzhou local government: "There is a red-haired boat heading for Guangzhou, the ship is named 'Haima', a first-class ship, four cargo owners and their families, five doctors and priests, one hundred and five shipwrights and cooks, 30 artillery pieces, and 600 shells. ”

There are family members! And all three family members are women! Guangzhou's nerves immediately collapsed. Li Yongbiao, the governor of Guangzhou, Yan Jizhou, the head of the bank (president of the Chamber of Commerce), and Pan Zhencheng, a guarantor businessman, hurriedly discussed the blocking plan with John, the secretary of the Dutch Merchant House. At the same time, nearly 100 people from Qi Xu, Guan Ding, and Lu Yong were mobilized to wait in Huangpu Port.

On July 8, the sixteenth year of Qianlong (A.D. 1751), the Haima "arrived at Shiziyang between Humen and Huangpu. Jenny and her two daughters thought they were there to greet them, and they got carried away with joy, and they kept waving Chinese silk scarves in the direction of the pier.

However, when the ship approached the dock, Johann, the secretary of the Dutch Merchant House, was already standing on the shore early and shouted loudly in Dutch: "Loren, don't dock yet, the situation has changed, please listen to me explain to you first!" Luo Lian's heart flickered, he had expected what he had been fearing to happen.

John and his guarantor, Poon Chun-shing, rowed a small boat over and reiterated that women were not allowed to go ashore. Luo Lian's eyes turned red all of a sudden, and tears welled up in his eyes, and he said: "My wife and daughter have been adrift in the wind and waves for ten months, and finally come to China that they have longed for for a long time, but they are not allowed to go ashore, which is so disappointing!"

Pan Zhencheng said with a wry smile, this is a rule, and no one can change it. Luo Lian was so anxious that he shouted, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry for my wife and daughter." He knelt on the deck, wiped the tears that kept flowing, and said, "Pan, please intercede with the officials in Guangzhou, and let my wife and daughter go ashore and enter Guangzhou." ”

Jenny and her two daughters figured out the situation, and they also cried, kneeling on the deck with Luo Lian. Even hard-hearted people weep when they see it.

Pan Zhencheng lifted the hem of his shirt, wiped away the tears on his cheeks, helped them up, and promised to go back to report to the government. Before leaving, Pan Zhencheng asked them to prepare for the worst.

That night, it rained heavily, lightning and thunder. Luo Lian couldn't wait for the results of the request, and landed in the rain with his frightened wife and daughter. Through his personal relationship, he placed his wife and daughter who had become a soup chicken in Ruifeng Xing in the Thirteen Lines (now Wenhua Road to Haizhu South Road) where foreign merchants lived.

The next day, the news that Luo Lian had come to Guangzhou with his wife and daughter spread far and wide, causing a sensation among businessmen in Guangzhou and other countries. In the end, under the mediation of Li Yongbiao, the head of the bank, Yan Jizhou, the chief of the bank, and Pan Zhenlu, the guarantor, the Guangzhou authorities handled the dispute in a low-key manner.

The Canton authorities said: "The Yi people brought their women with them, and they were usually expelled, but in order to show the tenderness of the Holy Dynasty, the Dutch were ordered to bring their families to live in Macao." "The Luo Lian incident was calmed down in this way.

The results were reported to Beijing, and the Qing government made the relocation of the Yi family's family members to Macao a regular practice. Qianlong's instructions said: "Later, when a Yi boat arrives in Macao, the shilling committee members will find out whether there are any women on the ship, and if some of them will take the women to live in Macao first, and only then will the ships be allowed to enter, and if they do not comply with the concealment, they will be ordered to trade with the Yi ships and not be allowed to import them; ”

Originally, the Qing Dynasty's ban on Western women coming to China was only a "statute" and a verbal rule, but after the Luo Lian incident, regulations restricting Western women from coming to China were introduced one after another and became official legal provisions.

In the twenty-fourth year of Qianlong (1759 AD), the "Regulations on the Prevention of Foreign Affairs" was promulgated, the main contents of which were: Yongxing prohibits foreign merchants from spending the winter in Guangzhou, and if they need to stay in China for the winter, they can only live in Macao; after foreign merchants arrive in Guangzhou, they must live in a merchant house designated by the merchants, and the merchants shall be under the control and inspection of the merchants; Chinese are prohibited from taking loans from foreigners, and foreign merchants are prohibited from hiring Chinese maids; foreign merchants are strictly prohibited from hiring people and transmitting information to Chinese; and when foreign merchant ships are berthed in Guangzhou, campers are assigned to conduct inspections at their discretion.

In the 41st year of Qianlong (1776 AD), the "Four Investigations of Anti-Yi" was promulgated, in the 14th year of Jiaqing (1809 AD), the "Regulations of Minyi Trading" was promulgated, and in the 19th year of Jiaqing (1814 AD), the "Nine Matters of Rectification and Yiyi Commercial Trade" was promulgated.

Hunter, an American who had lived in the Canton Merchant House for more than 20 years, lamented in "Miscellaneous Notes of Old China": "Since then, we, the poor foreigners in Guangzhou, have become involuntary monks, and even women's voices are a luxury, and the officials of Canton do not allow their foreign people of the same sex to enjoy it." ”

(End of this article)