ABSTRACT
China was active in trade by the end of the eighteenth century, having attained high-level manufacturing techniques and capacity. Tribute trade took place with surrounding regions, and was usually accompanied by ordinary commercial activities. China also operated long-distance domestic trade. As it entered the nineteenth century, the country expanded its trade with the West, triggering, changes in traditional trade, though conventional trade ties (such as those of operations by Chinese merchants) remained in place. This paper uses trade statistics to show how China’s domestic economy (in terms of distribution) changed as its economic ties with the West expanded in the nineteenth century.
