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1. 1 media/ChinaTradeOldChinaSt.jpg 2016-05-04T18:12:50-07:00 Zachary Ziebell 8eecdb2214ffc2e89ec5ed5f180953625d845cc7 The China Trade Era Caroline Frank 20 image_header 281351 2019-08-11T07:44:12-07:00 Caroline Frank a1a5e7e9a2c3dba76ecb2896a93bf66ac8d1635e

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• 1 2016-06-24T08:03:04-07:00 A Poem and a Memorial 14 plain 2017-02-02T06:11:45-08:00 The last section consists of a poem, an official document, and some miscellaneous characters and words and names of local merchants and scholars. The poem, in the style of “Song of Bamboo Twigs” 竹支詞, is said to be a work of the famous Xiqiao 西樵 scholar He Mengyao 何夢瑤 (1693-1764):[35] 

  看月誰人得月多  hone [see] yut [moon] shui [what] yun [man] tuck [can/catch] yut [moon] tô [much]
  灣船齊唱浪花歌  wan [pond] shuen [ship] tši [all] chaung [sing song] long fa ko
  花田一片光如雪  fa tien yat pĕen quang [light] yu̇ë su̇ët [snow]
  照見賣花人過河  chëu̇ kien mai fa yun quo ho
  賣花聲最断人腸
  花落花開旺(“枉”)自傷
  莫把百花墳上過  mǒ [no] pa part fa fun [grave] shȧu̇ng [up] quo [walk]
  阿嬌命薄似真孃

  Among the people who saw the moon, who did it shed its light on?  On the moored boat, we sang together the song of river spray.  The field of flowers was as bright as snow and we saw the girl who sold flowers cross the river.  Her call of selling flowers made me sad.  Seeing flowers bloom and wither, I felt sad in vain for the girl.  I could only wish the flowers not to go to the graveyard, because the girl had a destiny similar to her mother’s."

  The official document is a memorial dated December 3, 1805. It provides a typical example of the tax regulations applied to the China-foreign trade:

  欽命督理粵海関稅務內務府郎中兼公佐領延，為會題請旨事。照得西洋船隻既經丈抽納餉，或因風雨不順票(“漂”)至他省，原非非耑往貿易，查有丈抽印票，即便放行，不得重徵。先經會同定議，具題左案。今據洋船商_1_嗱裝載_2_(“貨”)物，前往咪唎_3_貿易，所有丈抽稅餉，已經照例完納，合行給牌照騐。為此牌給本船商收執，如遇関津要隘、汎防之處，所騐即放行，不得重徵稅餉，留難阻_4_(“滯”)。具隨帶防商火砲器械，按照舊刻，列填註牌內，毋許多帶，并夾帶違禁貨物，取究未便，須牌。
  番梢  叁拾名  劍刀  貳拾口  大砲  六門
  鳥鎗  貳拾枝  彈子  貳百個  火藥  貳百斤
  右牌給夷商_5_嗱  收執
  嘉慶拾年拾月    十三日
  粵海関部延
  遵    照

  Yan, The Imperially Ordered Department Director and Company Commander for the Imperial Household commissioned to supervise the Guangdong Maritime Customs tax affairs, for the co-submitted Memorial and the request of the Imperial Will. All the parties concerned are informed that the ships from the West Ocean had been checked and paid the required levy.  The ships may be drifted by the unfavourable wind or rainstorms to other provinces which are not their destinations for trade.  If the ships are found to have paid the levy and have the related documents, they should be released without being re-levied again.  This arrangement was previously discussed and agreed upon, and is applicable to the following ship.  Now the ship captain (Amos) Warners from the West Ocean, loaded with cargoes, is going to the U.S. for trading purpose.  It has paid all its levy in accordance with the regulations, and a licence should be issued to it.  This licence is to be kept by the merchant aboard this ship for record.  If the ship goes to the strategic passes or locations with local armies, the officials may examine the licence and let the ship leave.  No further levy should be imposed on this ship, and no trouble or obstruction should be caused to it either.  The ship is carrying artillery and firearms for self-defence, and all these are listed on the licence in accordance with the customary practice.  The ship must not carry more firearms than licensed or any prohibited goods, or else they will bring blame to themselves.  It is licensed thus.
  soldiers : 13                  swords : 12                              
  cannons : 6                   guns : 12                      
   bullets : 200                gunpowder : 200 catties
  What is listed on the right is to be kept by the foreign merchant on (the ship) Warner for record.
  on the 13th Day of the 10th Month of Jiaqing
  by the Guangdong Maritime Customs Office, Yan
  To be complied with."

  Chinese pronunciations, English translations and Latin explanations are provided for the first sentence as below: 

  Kîn míng [veneration, cali mandatum] – ab imperatore legatus, tuk ly [meddle] yȧu̇c hai quon [Canton Hoppo] soi woo [duty] noi woo foo lang chong [belonging to the Emperor’s family at Peking] kane [do] cong cho ling Yean [Mandarin’s Sirname] wee [done] hȯë tee [Orders] ching chee [Emperor’s Orders]"

  After the memorial was ended with the date, transliterations of the Chinese words were added to help the foreign readers to understand: “Kia [Conum] Kiñg [felicity] xĕ [decem] ”, “yut [Canton] haỳ [mare] kuân [ports on the confines of a kingdom, claudere] pú [regere guber nare] yçn [invitare, ducere] çûn [obsequi, se conformare] chëu̇ [follow, reflect] ”, “Canton/Yut tong, the same as can tong”. 
  ________________________
  
  ^{[35] This page has the handwritten remark “a Song in the Shee King” but actually the song did not come from Shijing 詩經 (The Book of Songs).
  [36] The eleven words (from叱/pӯ to口士/su) in the last two lines are probably the Cantonese transliteration for “Providence” and “Brown & Ives”.}