1、 Introduction

This article introduces the background and history of Guangzhou's trade in the Qing Dynasty, including the opening of the maritime ban during the Kangxi period, the establishment of Guangdong Customs, Macao becoming a foreign trade port, as well as the opening of Guangzhou Port and the rise of Huangpu Port. Meanwhile, it was mentioned that in the past, research on European countries' trade in Guangzhou mainly relied on the archives of Western companies and the works of Marx, while Chinese archives were relatively rare. In 2019, the author undertook a major national project and began collecting and organizing relevant Chinese archives. In 2023, the author discovered four volumes of foreign ships registered by the Guangdong Customs during the Qianlong period in the Brouthon Library of the University of Leeds in the UK. These volumes recorded ships and import and export goods from six countries and regions, making them valuable historical materials. This article will introduce and verify one of the volumes in order to promote related research.

2、 Archival records and annotations of the "General Catalogue of Imported Goods from Various Foreign Ships" in the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign

In the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign, the "General Record of Imported Goods from Various Foreign Ships" recorded the detailed trade between Guangzhou and other countries during the Qing Dynasty, including ships and their goods from France, Denmark, and other countries. After its establishment in 1664, the French East India Company became one of the important European countries in Guangzhou's trade. After 1773, the number of French ships coming to Guangzhou increased. This archive records the cargo of seven French ships in the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign, reflecting the prosperity of French trade with China. These ships mainly come from private merchants in the Lorient region of France, with a tonnage mostly between 600-700 tons. The goods include 18 types such as silver, bezoar, Zhuhai shells, etc. Compared with the records of the British East India Company, the Chinese archives are more detailed. For example, the cargo records of the "Duc de Fitz James" ship, also known as the "」喴Ø ship", show the consistency and differences in the types and quantities of goods in the Chinese and English archives. The cargo records of other French ships such as the "ebony ship", "〇嚧 ship", "ト」 ship", "ship" and "嗼」 ship" also reflect the specific situation of Sino French trade at that time. For example, the cargo types and quantities of the "ト」」 ship", also known as the "Pondicherry", were consistent with the English archives, confirming the accuracy of the archives.

3、 Literature review and research significance of the "General Catalogue of Imported Goods from Foreign Ships in Various Countries"

The detailed publication of the "General Catalogue of Imported Goods from Foreign Ships in Various Countries" in the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign, and the exploration of the source of this archive and the reasons why it was lost to the Broughton Library of the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. By comparing the Spanish archives "Agot Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce Diary" and the archives of the British East India Company, it was found that the contents of these archives are similar to the "General Catalogue of Imported Goods from Various Foreign Ships", indicating that they may have been obtained through bribing Guangdong Customs officials. These archives record the types and quantities of goods imported from various European countries to Guangzhou, providing valuable data for studying the trade history of Guangzhou in the Qing Dynasty. Especially the import of commodities such as kerosene, self ringing bells, and soap reflected the economic and cultural exchange between China and the West at that time. In addition, by comparing Chinese and English archives, we can correct some simple translations of English product names, deepen our understanding of ancient product names, and explore the path of foreign products entering China. This archive also provides a template for translating commodity names for the study of Sino Western trade in the Qing Dynasty, which helps the academic community to more accurately understand and study the trade situation at that time.