#303 - Qing 38: The Macartney Expedition

The History of China

Chris Stewart

History

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

From London’s harbors to Canton’s bustling hongs and the Qianlong Emperor’s Dragon Throne, Lord George Macartney’s 1792-94 mission to Great Qing unveils profound cultural divides, shaping centuries of Sino-Western relations. This series explores a pivotal diplomatic clash that redefined global history. Time Period Covered: 1792-1794 CE Major Historical Figures: Qing Empire: The Qianlong Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Hongli) [r. 1735–1796] Chief Minister Heshen (1750–1799) Wang Wenxiong, mid-level imperial bureaucrat British Empire: Lord George Macartney, ambassador extraordinaire [1737–1806] Sir George Staunton [1737-1801] William Alexander [1767–1816] John Barrow, Comptroller [1764-1848] Sgt. Maj. Samuel Holmes, 11th Lt. Dragoons Major Works Cited: Berg, Maxine. The Birth of the Modern World, 1780–1914: Global Connections and Comparisons. Cranmer-Byng, John. “The Chinese Documents Relating to the Macartney Embassy.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1961. Gao, Hao. Creating the Opium War: British Imperial Attitudes Toward China, 1792–1840. Hevia, James L. Cherishing Men from Afar: Qing Guest Ritual and the Macartney Embassy of 1793. Holmes, Samuel. Journal of the Macartney Expedition. Macartney, Lord George. Journal of the Macartney Expedition. Peyrefitte, Alain. The Immobile Empire: The First Great Collision of East and West. Knopf, 1992. Qing Archival Records. Tr. in Presents and Tribute: Documents on the Macartney Embassy. Staunton, George. An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:34.4	18 plus scummelaware.comerware. Thank you. Hello and welcome to the history of China.
0:47.3	Episode 303, the McCartney Expedition.
0:59.2	The scenes and objects which the members of the embassy had an opportunity of observing left a gratifying and durable impression upon the minds of many of them,
1:03.1	beyond all the events of the former periods of their lives.
1:07.3	The vast extent of the Chinese Empire, the richness of its soil, the variety of its productions,
1:13.4	the industry of its people, and the order and subordination prevailing among them,
1:18.3	could not fail to strike the attention of those who had the opportunity of contemplating them.
1:24.0	Sir George Leonard Staunton, in an authentic account of an embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China, 1797.
1:32.3	The English barbarians, having come from afar to present tribute, have been graciously received and entertained according to the rights of guest ritual.
	...

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