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THE ‘ENGLISH EXPERIENCE’ AMONG THE HUMBLEST CHINESE IN THE CANTON TRADE ERA (1700s‐1842).
- Source :
- Curtis's Botanical Magazine; Dec2017, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p298-313, 16p
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- This article puts into context the unusual experience of Whang at Tong, the Chinese boy who was brought by John Bradby Blake from Canton to England, against a wider background of 18th and 19th century Canton where a considerable number of Chinese made a living from foreign trade. Referencing various sources and circumstantial materials, I suggest that prior to his first departure for England, Whang at Tong had already been exposed to an English‐Chinese environment in which he was able to make a living by being an in‐between person, perhaps also picking up some English with a few English‐learning kits. He might have benefited from existing foreign knowledge circulated in Canton when he was young; he might also have contributed to the enhancement of this pool of knowledge after he returned home from England in the 1780s. The experiences of Whang at Tong thus open a window to reconsider how cultural encounters between East and West could have taken place, including especially among ordinary people on a daily basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- INTERNATIONAL trade
BOTANY
ARTISTS
THEORY of knowledge
EIGHTEENTH century
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13554905
- Volume :
- 34
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Curtis's Botanical Magazine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 128312730
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/curt.12206