Britain’s Macartney Mission Meets the Qianlong Emperor

In September 1792, a British expedition led by Viscount Macartney set sail from Portsmouth aboard the naval vessel HMS Lion, the company ship Hindostan, and the brig Jackall. British maritime trade with China was strictly confined to Guangzhou under the Canton System, where commerce was funneled through a guild of merchant firms known as the Cohong. Because British consumers consumed vast quantities of Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain while Chinese merchants demanded payment in silver, Britain faced a severe commercial deficit. Macartney was charged with establishing a permanent diplomatic post in Beijing, ending restrictions on British merchants in Guangzhou, gaining access to northern ports, and securing a small coastal island under British control.

The mission brought along scholars, artists, scientists, and four Chinese Catholic priests recruited in Europe to serve as interpreters. To convince Chinese officials of the value of British trade, the embassy carried an array of scientific instruments, weaponry, textiles, and clocks. Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society, had also encouraged the envoys to collect botanical specimens, especially tea plants that might be cultivated in India. After crossing the Atlantic and rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the squadron arrived off Macau in June 1793. To avoid the long overland route from Guangzhou, Macartney received imperial permission to sail directly to Tianjin, transferring his personnel and cargo onto smaller vessels to proceed upriver to Beijing.