British Ambassador meeting Emperor Chien Lung
Poster Prints from Mary Evans Picture Library
British Ambassador meeting Emperor Chien Lung
Meeting between Lord Macartney, British Ambassador, and the Chinese Emperor Chien Lung. Date: 14 September 1793
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Media ID 7109593
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10000268
1790s 1793 Ambassador Chien Diplomacy Embassy Lung Macartney Meeting Parasol Parasols
EDITORS COMMENTS
This image depicts a pivotal moment in the annals of Anglo-Chinese diplomatic history: the audience granted by Emperor Chien Lung (r. 1736-1795) to Lord Macartney (1737-1806), the British Ambassador, on September 14, 1793. The meeting took place in the Forbidden City, the imperial palace complex in Beijing, China. Lord Macartney, accompanied by an impressive delegation, embarked on a mission to establish formal diplomatic and trade relations between Britain and China. He brought with him a list of demands, including the opening of Chinese ports to British trade and the permission for British merchants to reside in Canton. Emperor Chien Lung, known for his intelligence and political acumen, was not easily swayed by the British demands. He was skeptical of the potential benefits of engaging with the Western world and believed that China had little to gain from such an alliance. In the photograph, Emperor Chien Lung is depicted seated on a raised throne, surrounded by his imperial guards and officials. Macartney, dressed in his full diplomatic regalia, stands before the emperor, presenting a gift – a telescope – as a symbol of British technological advancement. The emperor is shown holding a parasol, a common accessory used by Chinese emperors to shield themselves from the sun. The meeting between Macartney and Emperor Chien Lung marked the beginning of a series of diplomatic exchanges between China and Britain, which ultimately led to the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, formalizing trade relations between the two nations. This photograph offers a glimpse into the rich history of diplomacy and cultural exchange between the East and the West during the 1790s.
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