The world in the Age of RevolutionPolitics and state

Macartney Embassy to China

The first British embassy to China, led by Lord Macartney, was received by the Qianlong Emperor at his summer residence at Jehol, but all its requests — for the opening of new ports, a permanent embassy in Beijing and the easing of trade restrictions — were rejected.

Date: 14 September 1793exact date
Place: Jehol (Chengde), summer residence of the Qing emperorstoday: Chengde, Hebei Province, China · East Asia
Participants: Kingdom of Great Britain, Qing dynasty, George Macartney, Qianlong Emperor
Threads: The world in the Age of Revolution

The embassy sailed from Portsmouth on 26 September 1792 and returned to England in 1794. The travel accounts of its members became an important source of European knowledge about China in the late 18th century.

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Related events

Adam Laxman’s embassy to Japan13 (24) September 1792 – 8 (19) September 1793 · East Asiain the same months Russia was seeking trade with Japan, and a British embassy was seeking wider trade with China