6 déc. 1759 - Restricting European Presence (1759)
The Qianlong emperor restricted the European
commercial presence in China to the waterfront
at Guangzhou, where European merchants could
establish warehouses. There, Chinese authorities
controlled not only European merchants but also
the terms of trade. Foreign merchants could deal
only with specially licensed Chinese firms known
as cohongs, which bought and sold goods at set
prices and operated under strict regulations
established by the government.