#303 - Qing 38: The Macartney Expedition

From London’s harbors to Canton’s bustling hongs and the Qianlong Emperor’s Dragon Throne, Lord George Macartney’s 1792-94 mission to Great Qing unveils profound cultural divides, shaping centuries of Sino-Western relations. This series explores a pivotal diplomatic clash that redefined global history.

Time Period Covered:

1792-1794 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Qing Empire:

The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796]

Chief Minister Heshen (1750–1799)

Wang Wenxiong, mid-level imperial bureaucrat

British Empire:

Lord George Macartney, ambassador extraordinaire [1737–1806]

Sir George Staunton [1737-1801]

William Alexander [1767–1816]

John Barrow, Comptroller [1764-1848]

Sgt. Maj. Samuel Holmes, 11th Lt. Dragoons

Major Works Cited:

Berg, Maxine. The Birth of the Modern World, 1780–1914: Global Connections and Comparisons.

Cranmer-Byng, John. “The Chinese Documents Relating to the Macartney Embassy.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1961.

Gao, Hao. Creating the Opium War: British Imperial Attitudes Toward China, 1792–1840.

Hevia, James L. Cherishing Men from Afar: Qing Guest Ritual and the Macartney Embassy of 1793.

Holmes, Samuel. Journal of the Macartney Expedition.

Macartney, Lord George. Journal of the Macartney Expedition.

Peyrefitte, Alain. The Immobile Empire: The First Great Collision of East and West. Knopf, 1992.

Qing Archival Records. Tr. in Presents and Tribute: Documents on the Macartney Embassy.

Staunton, George. An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China.

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