Made in China 1795

The contemporary Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Made in China 2025 (MIC 2025) strategy contains a shift from producing low-quality products towards high-quality products. However, a few centuries ago, Chinese goods were in high demand already due to their low price in comparison with European goods and due to the high quality of the products. Our chair has a similar background.

Trade between China and Europe had been increasing steadily from the 16th century onwards. Confidence in China’s domestic market and production was high, with the Qianlong emperor proclaiming the following in 1793, in response to Macartney:

As your Ambassador can see, we possess all things… There is therefore no need to import the manufactures of outside barbarians in exchange for our own produce. [Micklethwait & Wooldridge 2005]

The Chinese emperor’s confidence was not misplaced. Chinese craftsmen were highly skilled, and Europe, especially its aristocratic circles, had seen an increasing interest in Chinese porcelain, silk, and tea from the 15th century onwards.[Wills 2010, p 206] In the 17th century, the presence of Chinese porcelain in Dutch still life paintings demonstrated its appeal in the Netherlands.[Gerritsen 2020, p 213] Chinese porcelain was also shipped to the Netherlands as a semi-finished product, where it was then finished by a Dutch painter. Sometimes already painted porcelain was painted over in order to better suit the Dutch taste. The amount of porcelain shipped was, however, modest.

A handful of Chinese working in Canton, which had become the main trading port for Europeans after the implementation of the Canton System (1753-1842), gained great wealth through the Europe-China trade at the time. One of these merchants was Howqua 伍秉鑑 (1769-1843), who specialized in trading tea and had established a wealthy trading house.[Wong 2016, p 2]