Sino-FrenchTradeatCanton,1698–1842presentsarareandlivelyviewoftheFrenchexperienceatCanton,andcallsforareappraisalofFrance’sroleinthattrade.FrancewasoneofthetwomostimportantWesternpowersintheeighteenthcentury,andwashometooneofthethreemajorEuropeanEastIndiacompanies.YetthenationiswoefullyunderrepresentedinCantontradescholarship.SusanE.SchopprescuestheFrenchfromthesidelines,showingthattheyexertedapresencethat,thoughcloselywatchedbytheirrivals,istodaylargelyunrecognized.Theircontributionswerediverse,rangingfromfindingnewsearoutestoinspiringtherenovationofhongfaçades.Consequently,toignoretheFrench,ortodismissthemassimply“also-rans,”resultsinaskewedperceptionoftheCantonsystem.SchoppalsodemonstratesthatwhilethemostdistinctiveaspectoftheFrenchmodelofcompanytradewasthedominantroleofthestate―indeed,theFrenchEastIndiaCompanyhasbeenmemorablydescribedasa“Versaillesoftrade”―thisdidnotruleoutaplaceforlegitimate,andsometimessurprising,participationbytheprivatesector.Onthecontrary:France’scommercialrelationswithChinawereinauguratedbyprivatetraders,andthepopularityoftheCantontradespurredtheeventualdemiseofthecompanymodel.Backedupbyextensivearchivalwork,Schopp’sworkdemonstratesaremarkableunderstandingoftheSino-Europeantrade,andherbookrevealsanunparalleledpassionfortheroleofseamanshipinhistory.
