History glossary
Canton System
the Qing system that restricted most Western maritime trade to Canton.
- Category
- Trade system
- Region
- Qing China
- Date range
- 1757-1842
What it means
The Canton System restricted most Western maritime trade with Qing China to Canton, where foreign merchants traded through licensed Chinese intermediaries under official supervision. It allowed commerce while limiting foreign access to the Chinese interior and imperial court.
Stories using this term
The Opium Wars
From the Canton System to the fall of Beijing, the Opium Wars turned illegal trade, imperial power and Qing weakness into a new unequal treaty order.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
