When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail

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When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail

by Eric Jay Dolin (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 105 ratings · 38 reviews

Brilliantly illuminating one of the least-understood areas of American history, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin now traces our fraught relationship with China back to its roots: the unforgiving nineteenth-century seas that separated a brash, rising naval power from a battered ancient empire. It is a prescient fable for our time, one that surprisingly continues to shed l...more Brilliantly illuminating one of the least-understood areas of American history, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin now traces our fraught relationship with China back to its roots: the unforgiving nineteenth-century seas that separated a brash, rising naval power from a battered ancient empire. It is a prescient fable for our time, one that surprisingly continues to shed light on our modern relationship with China. Indeed, the furious trade in furs, opium, and b che-de-mer a rare sea cucumber delicacy might have catalyzed America 's emerging economy, but it also sparked an ecological and human rights catastrophe of such epic proportions that the reverberations can still be felt today. Peopled with fascinating characters from the Financier of the Revolution Robert Morris to the Chinese emperor Qianlong, who considered foreigners inferior beings this page-turning saga of pirates and politicians, coolies and concubines becomes a must-read for any fan of Nathaniel Philbrick 's Mayflower or Mark Kurlansky 's Cod.

BLURBS/EARLY REVIEWS:

KIRKUS REVIEWS names When America First Met China as one of the top ten nonfiction books for the Fall of 2012

“When America First met China, in fascinating ways tells us much about who we are today.” -- MARK KURLANSKY, author of Cod and Salt

“Eric Jay Dolin’s When America First Met China is a smart, riveting history of what has become the most important bilateral relationship in the world. . . . An all-around outstanding work of maritime history.” --DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, author of Cronkite

“Anyone interested in China's ambitions, memories, and sensitivities will be glad to have read this book.” -- JAMES FALLOWS, author of China Airborne

“It's all here: tea, opium, raffish characters galore. Not only has Dolin filled a yawning gap in the historical literature; he has initiated a dramatic conversation about perhaps the most significant transcontinental contest of the twenty-first century.” -- KIRK DAVIS SWINEHART, author of This Broken House: A Family Undone by the American Revolution

“When America First Met China is at once a tantalizing high-sea yarn of fast-running clippers and murderous pirates and a profound meditation on an international relation, first borached by feather-capped Yankee Doodles and queue-flaunting Hong Merchants, that still absorbs our attention today…Fresh, gripping, pelagically capacious”-- YUNTE HUANG, author of Charlie Chan

“This fast-paced and deeply researched book is a must-read for anyone interested in America’s long history of competition and cooperation with China.” -- DEBBY APPLEGATE, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher

"A rich, highly readable examination of the seeds of poppies, trade, greed, grandeur and an international partnership that remains uneasy and perilous." -- STARRED REVIEW, KIRKUS(less)

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published September 10th 2012 by Liverght (division of W. W. Norton)

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Mar 22, 2013 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-history, english-history, history, non-fiction

Someone please tell me Dolin did NOT just defend foot binding after giving a graphic and nauseating description of the process.

The book is highly readable and written in a very non scholarly fashion even though it is footnoted and sources listed in the back. Dolin's style is chatty and laconic with just a touch of humor. The title is a little misleading since the POV switches to the British when he approaches the Opium War of 1844. Dolin also talks about the human trafficking that went on betwee...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Tony Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very, very interesting overview of America's early relations with China from the American Revolutionary period through most of the19th century. This book offers a very informative history lesson that offers an insight as to how China reponded to the rush in trade between, not only America, but also much of Europe.The feudal methods employed by the Chinses including the way they "looked down" on Westerners and peoples from other Asian nations. America got a late start in trading with the Chinese,...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Dolin has done an admirable job of shedding light on a fascinating aspect of American history about which we do not often hear. We have in this book an engaging cultural and social history, as well as an economic one. Yes, Dolin focuses on the exchange of goods in trade between the China and the West, beginning in the late 18th century and following the thread through to the start of the 20th century, but the stories here are so much broader than that. Dolin works from the perspective gained fro...more Dolin has done an admirable job of shedding light on a fascinating aspect of American history about which we do not often hear. We have in this book an engaging cultural and social history, as well as an economic one. Yes, Dolin focuses on the exchange of goods in trade between the China and the West, beginning in the late 18th century and following the thread through to the start of the 20th century, but the stories here are so much broader than that. Dolin works from the perspective gained from our nation's current relationship with China, examining how the myriad interactions between our two peoples have molded the situation in which we find ourselves today.

"When America First Met China" is at times a swashbuckling adventure, with tales of mutiny on the high seas and covert, back-alley deals wrought in the seedy underbelly of port towns on both sides of the world, and at times an unflinching look at the human capacity for cruelty and bigotry in the meeting of two rich cultural perspectives. Dolin's work offers a snapshot of America's emergence on the world stage as a brand new nation, forging its own identity as an international presence and significant factor in the world marketplace. The careful research work illuminates a colorful cast of significant historical personages with ties to the China trade, including the Astors, and strives to paint a detailed picture of the complex and shifting relationships between America, European powers, and China forming half a world away from America's ports. Dolin's canvas is immense, covering not only America's rise and the Opium Wars in the 19th century but also detailing the intricate nature of the production of key items in the trade such as opium, tea, and silk. Dolin convincingly portrays the extent to which these items shaped much of the cultural and social mindset in both Europe and America during this period, and also demonstrates the high cost of cultural insensitivity and disrespect, in the shameful rise of the coolie trade at the end of the 19th century.

In this work, Dolin offers us a wide-ranging, often surprising, history of America's earliest interactions with China. I found myself getting caught up in the adventure as well as the minutiae of day to day life for persons living through this period of history, creating products whose influence is felt to this day. The book's beautiful layout and insightful research made it a joy to read and explore. Thanks to Goodreads and the author for the Advanced Reader's copy!(less)

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Sep 29, 2012 Scott Kardel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eric Jay Dolin's book When America First Met China is an important look back at U.S. China relations. The book, complete with detailed end notes, spans the years from the American Revolution to just after the U.S. Civil War and recounts the story of U.S. trade relations with the Middle Kingdom.

There can be no question that relations with China will take special focus in the years to come and will be influenced by our past dealings.

While America was not the central player in dealing with China...more

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Apr 29, 2013 David R. rated it 5 of 5 stars

This one's a highly readable, richly researched, and deeply sensitive narrative of a period of history of which most are largely ignorant. Dolin looks most closely at trade with China roughly from the 1780s to the 1870s. Some of this is soaring stuff: with clipper ships and Sinomania. But there's also the dark side: the Opium War(s), the coolie trade, and plenty of cultural arrogance to go around. It's saddening and infuriating to read accounts of abuse of the lowest class Chinese, peoples explo...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads, history

Very informative and a definite recommendation for anyone who has any interest in learning about the formative years of trade between China and America. Really sheds light on how/why our trade has evolved into what it is today between China and America.

I must say I wasn't able to really get into the first few chapters. There was so much information being bounced around in different orders that it was a bit overwhelming. I don't mean to imply it should be elementary history level, but I feel it c...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

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Feb 09, 2013 Matthew rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book as a part of the Goodreads giveaway program. It was an Advanced Reader Copy and was an uncorrected proof prior to publication. This was the first book by this author that I have read.

The book was enjoyable because I like both history and anything related to the sea. The author did a good job of detailing the intracacies of trade between China and America with a good deal of British influence thrown in as well. I was particularly interested to see the similarities between the...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-asian-fascination, 2013-reads, written-a-review

This was an easy, interesting book about trade between the US (really, the western world, including Britain) and China between the late 1700s and early 1900s.

You meet interesting characters from every side: American trade merchants, American captains, British captains, Chinese traders and Chinese bureaucrats. The stories about life in Canton - where all trade between China and the West took place was good, though not AS detailed as I've read in similar books.

The impact of Chinese goods on Americ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Ms.pegasus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historians and readers with a serious interest in the period.

Shelves: china, history, nonfiction

The China trade conjures exotic images: Graceful clippers like the Sea Witch and the Flying Cloud; the import of silk, fine porcelain, furniture and artwork; the port of Canton bustling with foreign ships and traders intermingled with Chinese junks and sampans, and Canton's “golden ghetto.” Author Eric Jay Dolin explores the economic underpinnings of that era through an extensive reading of primary sources. His story focuses on America's involvement, which began immediately after the conclusion...more The China trade conjures exotic images: Graceful clippers like the Sea Witch and the Flying Cloud; the import of silk, fine porcelain, furniture and artwork; the port of Canton bustling with foreign ships and traders intermingled with Chinese junks and sampans, and Canton's “golden ghetto.” Author Eric Jay Dolin explores the economic underpinnings of that era through an extensive reading of primary sources. His story focuses on America's involvement, which began immediately after the conclusion of the American Revolution.

Freed from the colonial restrictions imposed by Britain, America was eager to establish trade relations. The time marked a fortuitous convergence of circumstances. Wartime privateers needed a peacetime occupation. The country needed sources of wealth and it's new found confidence inspired entrepreneurship. In 1789 the French Revolution sparked European warfare that left an opening for the neutral United States. The Americans' chief rival, the British East India company was fat, lugubrious and bureaucracy-laden. However, a much overlooked impetus was that America was a tea-drinking nation. “By the early 1770's most colonists had become fervent tea drinkers. Estimates of colonial consumption of tea at this time range from 5.7 to 6.5 million pounds per year.” Dolin calculates that this converted to a consumption rate of approximately 1.4 to 1.6 cups per person per day. Throughout the period from 1776 to 1860, tea and silk were the primary Chinese imports. From this seemingly innocent penchant, momentous consequences flowed.

Dolin begins his story with the departure of the Empress of China in 1783, carrying a cargo of lead, beaver fur, ginseng and silver coinage. Finding suitable trade goods became the first problem in supporting America's tea habit. Sea otter fur and seals were the immediate answers. Later, sandalwood and sea cucumber became exploited resources. It is appalling to learn how quickly these resources were depleted. Sea otter and seals were hunted almost to extinction. By 1800 seals were becoming rare. A new source was found in the South Shetland Islands in 1820. Within two short years the seals there were almost completely exterminated. Between 1812 and 1815 the Marquesas were nearly denuded of sandalwood. By 1820 the same fate had befallen Hawaii. The drying process for sea cucumber ravaged the remaining timber of the South Seas islands. In addition the cheap native labor in procuring and drying the sea cucumbers was purchased with muskets.

The one sustainable resource the traders had to offer to China was opium. The substance was banned in 1729 but the ban was not enforced. The bulk of the trade was conducted by the British, but the United States was also a participant. It's product, Turkish opium, was simply inferior to the British product grown in India. Moral objections held little weight with American trading companies (by 1837 the trade had come to be dominated by larger, better capitalized, companies rather than individuals). “Most American China-trade firms trafficked in opium, one noteworthy exception being New York's Olyphant & Company, which opposed the trade on religious and moral grounds. As a result of this principled stance, other American traders derisively referred to the rooms that Olyphant & Company occupied in the Canton factory as 'Zion's Corner.'”

Along the way, Dolin offers numerous interesting historical asides. A popular import from China was porcelain decorated with European motifs. The artist Gilbert Stuart actually sued one entrepreneur for using his “Atheneum” portrait of George Washington without permission on commissioned sets of chinaware. In the 1830's the Carnes brothers profited from “made in China” silk scarves, perfumes, and gourmet food which they marketed as the genuine French items. They even found a pickled woody plant that they could pass off as rhubarb for a much higher price.

Most surprising to me was the ignoble end of the clipper ship era shortly before the Civil War. Unprofitable in the China trade, some ended their days as transport for Chinese indentured laborers bound for plantations and manual labor in Latin America. A newspaper reporter's description of guano miners in the 1850's is especially chilling. So harsh were the conditions that many of the laborers committed suicide. Dolin writes of the American ships: “Direct involvement didn't begin ... until 1852, when the Ohio sailed with three hundred Chinese from China to Peru. Over the next ten years sixty-two ships flying the American flag engaged in the coolie trade, one estimate claiming that during the first six of those years, American ships carried forty thousand Chinese, earning the shipowners millions of dollars.” One needs only to consider that there are no Chinese descendant populations from these laborers -- they all died.

Dolin has researched his subject carefully. What begins as a seeming paean to capitalism and “trickle down economics” quickly becomes a story much more complex and interesting. In telling his story he displays a talent for presenting quotes that reflect a different time period without slowing his narrative. Unguarded sentiment, and hyperbolic newspaper accounts account for some of this reaction. When the Americans reap windfall profits acting as middlemen between the British and China after the Chinese ban Britain from trading in 1839, one British trader laments: “While we hold the horns, they [the Americans] milk the cow.”

Finally, Dolin urges the reader to look into this historical relationship in order to draw conclusions about the present. Commissioner Lin Zexu who attempted to stop the opium trade and whose efforts precipitated the Opium War is still looked upon as a hero in China. Since Hong Kong was one of the British spoils of war, it is easy to understand China's resentment during its British tenure. WHEN AMERICA FIRST MET CHINA is a thought-provoking middle-ground between historical scholarship and popular nonfiction.
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Jun 10, 2012 Cathy Doyle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good description of the initial phases America's trade with China. After the Revolutionary War China was one country that was open to American traders, with enormous profits to be made on successful voyages. Even in these days, however, the world ran an account deficit with China, which continues to this day. The book ends with the Opium Wars of the mid 19th century, which are still much in the minds of the Chinese today when they negotiate with the West. A good summary of the subject.

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Jan 01, 2013 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, non-fiction

Dolin has illuminated a subject on which I was pretty much in the dark—America’s early commerce with China. The biggest revelation for me was the direction of the opium trade. Prior to reading this work I thought that China exported opium, but now I know this was not the case. The Opium War was a series of battles fought by England against China in 1840 in which the British Navy proved far superior to the Chinese. The purpose of these battles was to stop the Chinese from enforcing their own laws...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Michael Harris rated it 3 of 5 stars

A gift from my daughter "the librarian". A very interesting story of the history of America's trade with China as well as a bit of British history as well. The subject was excellent but the book written like a collage professor talks. In the hands of a Simon WInchester the story would have come alive. It was another piece of the China reading puzzle that I am working on to better understand the CHina we see today.

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Oct 16, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

A solid read. Interesting to note that Chinese copying of patented & copy-written materials goes back to the very beginning of our trade with them. Of course they were directed and paid to so by American merchants. I would have liked more Chinese history and society woven into the work. Almost all of the perspective comes from US or Brit citizens. Of course, there may not be much access to original Chinese documentation of the period.

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Nov 21, 2012 Lauren Albert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-asia, history-american

Keep in mind that very few Chinese actually show up here--but that is part of Dolin's argument as I read it. Contact with people rather than with products was limited. I felt mixed about how much time he spent discussing the British but I guess it is inevitable under the circumstances since what they did shaped what we did (and could do) in relation to China.

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Sep 08, 2012 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, non-fiction, giveaways

I got this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I don't usually read this type of historical book, but, being a recent resident of Salem, I thought it would give me some insight into the cities' history. At one time, Salem was the wealthiest city in America, due to the China trade. I did not learn much about Salem, but did learn a great deal about China and its history. I really enjoyed the book. The maps and illustrations helped.

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Apr 05, 2013 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is history at its finest! Dolin is incredibly gifted at crafting together a coherent and compelling story. I was already aware of some elements of this story like the opium wars, but there were many new details and everything was tied together beautifully. I look forward to reading Dolin's other books as well.

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Apr 23, 2013 Emilade rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: social-science

I read this to get a better understanding of some Amitov Ghosh books, namely River of Smoke, although the facts gave a little insight to Sea of Poppies as well. In the last few pages, Dolin kind of scolds people for not knowing more about the Opium Wars. Which I guess is why he spent so much time on them without providing much contextualization from the American perspective (mostly from the British perspective). But mentions in the end that it is important to understand the Opium Wars because it...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Trina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating and well-written account of trade relations between China and the United States from post-Revolutionary War through the 1800s. Loving history and economics as I do, this didn't disappoint.

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Oct 14, 2012 Jetta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Would like to give it 3.5 stars.
For a historical, non-fiction book it was really quite good. Not as dry as it could have been. I thought it was well written and I'm sure it helps that I am very interesting in Chinese history as well. Understanding the history definitely helps me understand a little more where we stand now with China.

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Oct 19, 2012 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mr. Dolin has written an informative history of the China Trade from it's inception right after the Revolutionary War through the turn of the nineteenth century. When writing about the more interesting periods, the book flows smoothly while at other times it seems draggy and repetitive. I believe that this is a book that should be read because of it's excellent coverage of America"s involvement in the opium trade, the Opium War(s) an the coolie trade. Most Americans know little about these thing...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Kelli Lynn Dwyer marked it as to-read

Shelves: giveaways-won

I just wanted to thank you for doing a giveaway for this book, and to say how happy I am to have won. Once I receive and read this I will be sure to write a review for you.

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Feb 09, 2013 Kenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, checked-out-to, non-fiction-human, left-unfinished, signed-by-author

Interesting to consider how politically impotent the Chinese emperors were at cracking down on the opium trade in the south, despite all good intentions. There was, at the same time, an obsession with herbs, especially ginseng, that were known to have aphrodisiac effects. How could a country with so much sexual prowess in one domain, completely lose it in another?

Also, the biology of the silkworm production is pretty fascinating - how they fed off of a certain type of tree native to northern chi...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Jesse Raskin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nothing ground breaking but a good primer on the topic. Covers the opium wars (did you know there were 2?), clipper ships, the despicable coolie trade, America's love for ugly porcelain, China's love of seal fur, etc. Worth a read.

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Oct 13, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are looking to know a bit more about the early relationship, this is a great book. In depth coverage of many of the pioneers of trade with China, political conditions, and the bad behavior of the opium trade / wars. Did you know Abe Lincoln made it illegal to transport Chinese immigrant labor on American ships?

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Sep 01, 2012 Sonja Cravener rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved the book, I really think it should be read in our schools. It is easy to read and it holds your attention. You want to keep turning the pages. I learned more about that time in history and understand more what is happening today with trade because of this book. I highly recommend reading of this book.

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Apr 10, 2013 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you're curious about the first few hundred years of contact between the world's current biggest rival powers, this is the book. Great job of research & synthesis, often fascinating & illuminating, occasionally shocking, but (perhaps inevitably) a bit plodding.

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Dec 25, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not the best writing -- his style isn't nearly as good as, say, 1491 Charles C Mann for example -- but I learned a lot.

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Aug 22, 2012 Charlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

First-reads Review: Brilliantly written. Informative, but written in a language that truly makes it a "good read". Not stuffy like other history books, but read in a way that is allegorical and applicable to present day US- China relations. Great maps and illustrations.

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Mar 20, 2013 Tracey marked it as to-read

Shelves: recommended-tcpl, pop-history, pop-sociology

SDMB mention: DZedNConfused " highly readable and written in a very non scholarly fashion... POV is entirely from the American and Britsh perspective" - general good GR reviews

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About Eric Jay Dolin

I love history, nature, and telling dramatic, sometimes wondrous, and often tragic stories of how people treat themselves, each other, and the environment. My goal is to entertain and inform, and leave the reader glad that they took the time to read my books.

My most recent book, When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail (Liveright (a division of...more I love history, nature, and telling dramatic, sometimes wondrous, and often tragic stories of how people treat themselves, each other, and the environment. My goal is to entertain and inform, and leave the reader glad that they took the time to read my books.

My most recent book, When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail (Liveright (a division of W. W. Norton), September 2012), was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the top ten non-fiction books for the Fall 2012. Before that I wrote Fur, Fortune, and Empire: the Epic History of the Fur Trade in America (W. W. Norton, 2010), a national bestseller, which was chosen by New West, The Seattle Times, and The Rocky Mountain Land Library as one of the top non-fiction books of 2010. It also won the 2011 James P. Hanlan Book Award, given by the New England Historical Association, and was awarded first place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America, Excellence in Craft Contest. Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America (W. W. Norton, 2007), was selected as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by The Los Angeles Times , The Boston Globe , and The Providence Journal . Leviathan was also chosen by Amazon.com's editors as one of the 10 best history books of 2007. Leviathan garnered the 23rd annual (2007) L. Byrne Waterman Award, given by the New Bedford Whaling Museum, for outstanding contributions to whaling research and history. Leviathan also received the 2007 John Lyman Award for U. S. Maritime History, given by the North American Society for Oceanic History, was named an Honors Book in nonfiction for the 8th annual Massachusetts Book Awards (2008-2009), and was awarded a silver medal for history in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (2008).

My newest book, due out in September 2012, is When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail (Liveright/Norton, 2012).

Thanks for reading, and please let me know if you have any thoughts, questions, or musings you would like to share. For more, see http://www.ericjaydolin.com. All the best! Eric
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