Dimensions
165 x 240 x 30mm
Traders of the Far East.
Jardine Matheson & Co is one of the remarkable business stories of the 19th and 20th centuries. Founded in Canton in 1832, Jardine's has had a longer continuous existence than any other British, European or American business connected with trade in China. It is the only firm to predate the Treaty of Nanking which opened China to foreign commerce in 1842 and it played a pivotal role in that volatile process. Shortly afterwards, the company moved to the newly-annexed island of Hong Kong and has been associated with it ever since.
In this book, eminent historian Robert Blake applies his acclaimed skills to animating the real story of Jardine Matheson. The significance of the end of the East India Company Monopoly, the Opium Wars, the development of Hong Kong, the introduction of railways to China, the Sino-Japanese war, the Boxer rebellion, the two great wars of the twentieth century - all these events are integral to the Jardine story. It becomes clear too that Jardine's is not just the result of commercial success in fortunate times but the inspiration and creation of remarkable Scottish families. From Dr William Jardine's first glimpse of Canton in 1832 as a ship's surgeon, members of these families have been crucial to the firm's ability to weather the vicissitudes of history.
