Were Qing Ports Mere Gateways or Agents of Globalization? Silver, Coolies, and the Sino-Latin America Connection

This article revisits the role of Qing dynasty port cities in early globalization by examining two Sino-Latin American linkages: the influx of Spanish American silver in the late 17th and 18th centuries, and the export of Chinese indentured labourers (“coolies”) in the mid-19th century. Rather than serving merely as passive gateways for trade and migration, the ports of Xiamen and Kulangsu actively shaped these transoceanic exchanges. Through a comparative analysis with other coastal hubs such as Guangzhou and Macao, the study shows how these cities forged a maritime network that extended China’s reach into Latin America. Southern China’s coastal entrepôts integrated overseas silver into local economies and later joined the lucrative yet troubling business of sending Chinese labourers to Cuba and Peru. Although constrained by imperial policies and unequal treaties, officials, merchants, and intermediaries in Fujian negotiated and adapted with a degree of agency to these global transformations. These findings provide an alternative view on the role of Qing ports in globalization, drawing attention to the local actors and conditions that influenced Sino–Latin American exchanges.