Beforetheopeningofthetreatyportsinthe1840s,CantonwastheonlyChineseportwhereforeignmerchantswereallowedtotrade.TheGoldenGhettotakesusintotheworldofoneofthiscity’smostimportantforeigncommunities—theAmericans—duringthedecadesbetweentheAmericanRevolutionof1776andthesigningoftheSino-USTreatyofWanghiain1844.AmericanmerchantslivedinisolationfromChinesesocietyinsybaritic,albeitusuallycelibateluxury.Makinguseofexhaustiveresearch,DownsprovidesanespeciallyclearexplanationoftheCantoncommercialsettinggenerallyandoftheroleofAmericanmerchants.ManyofthesemenmadefortunesandreturnedhometobecomeimportantfiguresintherapidlydevelopingUnitedStates.ThebookdevotesparticularattentiontothebiographicaldetailsoftheprincipalAmericantraders,theleadingAmericanfirms,andtheiroperationsinCantonandtheUnitedStates.Opiumsmugglingreceivesespecialemphasis,asdoestheimportanttopicofearlydiplomaticrelationsbetweentheUnitedStatesandChina.
Sinceitsfirstpublicationin1997,TheGoldenGhettohasbeenrecognizedastheleadingworkonAmericanstradingatCanton.Longoutofprint,thisneweditionmakesthiskeyworkagainavailable,bothtoscholarsandawiderreadership.
GOLDEN AMERICAN COMMUNITY CHINA POLICY
