Canton Trade | Chopmarked Coins

The Canton System

An overview of the Canton System, China's tightly controlled framework for foreign trade from the 17th to 19th centuries.

The merchants, shroffs, compradors, and officials who made the Canton trade system work.

The practice of shroffing — testing and evaluating silver coins — and the handbook that guided it.

Silk, tea, porcelain, and more — the goods that drove the Canton trade economy.

The geography of Canton trade — the waterways, factories, and ports of the Pearl River Delta region.

How trade networks extended beyond Canton to other Asian ports and markets.

The vessels that carried silver and goods across the oceans and rivers.