Hoppo facts for kids
The Hoppo (also called the Administrator of the Canton Customs) was a special official in China during the Qing dynasty (from 1685 to 1904). This important person worked in Guangzhou (which was also known as Canton). The Chinese emperor gave the Hoppo the job of managing all the ships coming and going. They also collected tariffs, which are taxes on goods, and kept things orderly among traders near the Pearl River Delta.
At first, the Hoppo was always a Manchu person. They were a special kind of servant to the emperor's family, called a bondservant. The emperor chose them directly, not through the usual government exams. This meant the Hoppo could be trusted to send money from trade straight to the emperor's palace, instead of through the normal government offices.
Around the mid-1700s, the Qianlong emperor approved the Canton system. This system meant that most overseas trade with Europeans could only happen in Canton. Chinese merchants, who formed groups called the Thirteen Hongs, had a special right to control this trade. European countries also gave their trading companies, like the British East India Company, similar special rights. The Hoppo's job was to manage this valuable trade between these groups. This gave the Hoppo a lot of power to set and collect taxes and fees. These fees were very large, and the Hoppo could send even more money to Beijing through extra charges and gifts.
Later, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, a new kind of trade grew, which caused problems. The British government ended the East India Company's special trading rights in 1834. Foreign traders then wanted to trade freely with lower, fixed taxes. But the Chinese emperor still expected the Hoppo to control foreign traders, stop illegal trade by Chinese people, and keep sending lots of money to Beijing. Foreign traders were unhappy with the Hoppo's rules and extra fees. These disagreements were some of the reasons for the First Opium War (1839-1842). The Treaty of Nanking in 1842 ended the Canton System. However, the Hoppo's job was not completely removed until 1904, as part of big changes at the end of the Qing dynasty.
The word "Hoppo" comes from Chinese Pidgin English, a mix of Chinese and English words. Some people thought it came from "Hu Bu" (the "Board of Revenue," which was like a finance ministry). But the Hoppo had no connection to that Board, so where the word "Hoppo" really came from is still a bit of a mystery.
Contents
Early Days of the Hoppo's Job (1685–1759)
The Hoppo's position was created in 1685. By this time, the Manchu rulers had mostly taken control of southern China. At first, they were worried about rebels attacking from the sea. But now, they felt safe enough to end the rules that limited sea trade and let ports along the southern coast re-open. There were Hoppos in other ports too, like Macao and Fujian.
The emperor chose Manchu bond-servants for the job. These bond-servants were very loyal to the emperor's family. This meant they could be trusted to serve the emperor's interests. The Hoppo could collect money not just from the official taxes, but also from unofficial fees and extra charges. These extra amounts were often as much as the official taxes. The official taxes went to the local government, but the extra money went straight to the Imperial Household Department. This department was controlled by the emperor's family.
The Hoppo faced challenges from many sides. Chinese merchants, especially the powerful Thirteen Hongs, had been trading for many years. They knew the local business very well and often had more power than any single Hoppo, who depended on them for money and information. European trading companies like the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company also had special rights from their own governments. They wanted the Hoppo to set low, clear, and quickly settled fees.
The emperor divided coastal trade into three types:
- Trade within China, including other ports along the coast.
- Trade with Southeast Asian countries.
- Trade with European countries.
To stop the Hoppo from becoming too powerful, the emperor only allowed them to manage the European trade. However, this trade became the most profitable and grew fastest in the mid-1700s. The Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi, a powerful Chinese official who oversaw two provinces, often tried to take some of the Hoppo's power and money.
The Hoppo's role in the government changed several times. Sometimes, one official was both the Viceroy and the Hoppo. Other times, there were two Hoppos. For a while, the job almost disappeared, and local officials handled the duties. Finally, in the 1750s, the Viceroy was appointed as Hoppo, even when there was already a Hoppo in office. In 1761, the emperor made the Hoppo an independent job again, but with less power. After this, the job was no longer only for Manchu people.
The Hoppo Under the Canton System (1759–1842)
The Hoppo became very important to China's trade with Europe after 1756. This was when the Canton system started, which limited European trade to Canton only. A special group of Chinese merchants, called "Hongs" or "trading houses," had the sole right to do business with foreigners. Managing the relationship between these two groups of merchants made the Hoppo's job very profitable, but also difficult.
To get the job, the Hoppo had to pay influential officials. They had to pay again while in office and once more at the end of their term if they wanted another good job. They usually only had three years to make back the money they spent to get the position. The Hoppo sent about a million taels (a type of silver money) to Beijing each year. However, their personal income could be ten times that amount, perhaps 11 million taels. Also, trade income in Canton grew by as much as 300 percent in the 1700s, especially in the 1790s.
The Hoppo was in charge of all parts of foreign trade. Their officers met each ship when it arrived at Whampoa Roads, a landing spot downriver from Canton. Each ship had to hire a "Chinese linguist," who was a representative of the Hoppo, to act as a go-between and interpreter. The Hoppo's officers measured the ship to figure out how much cargo it could hold. They then decided how much the ship would pay based on its size. They also set a time for the ship's officers to meet the Hoppo, often in a special hall.
In the early years, the Hoppo would personally lead many small boats to measure the ships. This ceremony included fireworks, music, and even cannon salutes until they were deemed too dangerous in the 1780s. The Hoppo also gave impressive gifts to new ships, like two live bulls. But by the early 1800s, these gifts became just a formality.
Because of the Hoppo's "cumshaw" (informal payments they asked for), the costs of trading in Canton were likely the highest in the world. A foreign trader's "Hoppo Book" from 1753 listed the taxes and informal payments. These included five types of charges:
- Import Duty: A fixed tax on goods brought into China.
- Export Duty: A fixed tax on goods leaving China, even if they were just going to another Chinese port, plus an extra six percent.
- Extra charges on goods: These were for things like duties sent to Beijing, and fees for weighers and interpreters. These extra charges were almost half of the main tax.
- The Measurage: A fee based on the ship's size.
- The Present: Money given directly to the Hoppo.
Like the emperor they represented, the Hoppo was also responsible for the social lives of people in their area. The Hoppo looked after Chinese merchants and foreign traders in many ways. If the daily supplies for the foreign trading houses were bad, the foreign merchants complained to the Hoppo. If a trader was annoyed by constant wood-chopping, they complained to the Hoppo. In 1832, a British trader, angry about what he felt was bad treatment, even set the Hoppo's home on fire.
On the other hand, if the emperor or other high officials wanted to control foreign traders, they gave this job to the Hoppo. The Hoppo would then tell the Hong merchants to tell their foreign partners to "control their pride and bad behavior." For example, in 1759, an English interpreter named James Flint broke Chinese law by going to Tianjin. He sent a direct message to the emperor complaining about corruption in Canton. The Hoppo was blamed for Flint's actions and was immediately fired.
More importantly, as the trade of a certain product grew and caused a lot of silver to leave China, the Hoppo was expected to control foreign merchants, keep money flowing to his superiors, and stop illegal trade.
Trade Disputes and Changing Relationships
The Hoppo was the only Chinese official who had direct contact with foreign traders, so they were held responsible for many issues. Respect for the Hoppo decreased even more with the growth of a disputed trade in the early 1800s. It became even worse after 1834, when England declared "free trade" and ended the special trading rights of the East India Company. England then demanded that China open its markets more widely.
The Hoppo's response was mixed. They allowed some illegal trade around Canton. This was because they feared that stopping it completely would just move the trade elsewhere. It could also disrupt the valuable trade in tea and cotton, and stop the flow of payments to Beijing. The Hoppo's staff and the illegal traders often worked together, which was profitable for both. This meant the disputed product could be shipped directly to Canton instead of being sold secretly offshore. The Hoppo had little reason to cause trouble or look beyond their three-year term. Also, when foreign traders sold the product directly to Chinese sellers, they no longer needed the Hoppo to arrange things or pay off other officials.
The Hoppo was now in a difficult situation. The emperor expected them to send money but also to stop the disputed trade. Foreign merchants increasingly blamed the Hoppo for rules that kept them from what they saw as the huge China market. They demanded low and fixed taxes instead of the ship-by-ship fees.
This mix of allowing and working with illegal trade ended in 1839. That's when Viceroy Lin Zexu arrived with a strong new order from the emperor to stop the disputed trade. During the conflicts and battles of the First Opium War, the Hoppo had no power over foreign traders or Chinese merchants. After the British won the war, they forced China to sign treaties. These treaties ended the Canton System by setting fixed taxes and opening trade at four more treaty ports. However, the Hoppo's job continued for some time.
The Late 1800s
By the end of the 1800s, Chinese customs officials had become less important. This was due to the rise of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service, which was a new system. The job of the Canton superintendent, still informally called "Hoppo," was officially ended in 1904. This was part of the big reforms at the end of the Qing dynasty. Sir Robert Hart, who was in charge of the Customs Service, wrote to a friend: "Did you see that the old post of Hoppo at Canton has been abolished? This is a good step and will make financial reform possible at Canton."
What Historians Thought
Early Western historians, like British traders and diplomats, often saw the Hoppo as someone who blocked China from joining free trade around the world. Hosea Ballou Morse, an early writer about China's foreign relations, said that the Hoppo's job was created "to get money from the richest trading market in the empire." He believed the Hoppo enjoyed a lot of wealth as long as Canton had its special trading rights. Morse also wrote that "a share in his gains passed directly to the inmates of the Imperial palace, from the highest down the scale to concubines and eunuchs." Morse thought the job was a barrier to progress. He said that the Hoppo's job and fixed taxes didn't work well together. This was because the Hoppo's job depended on how much extra money they could collect beyond the official reports. Austin Coates wrote about the "whims, greed, and unfairness of the Hoppo and his officials."
However, later historians in the late 1900s had different views. They were less critical of China's actions. For example, Cheong Weng Eang, writing in 1997, explained that the Hoppo's actions, which seemed inefficient or avoiding responsibility, were actually the government's way of trying to balance many different interests.
Where the Word "Hoppo" Came From
The word "Hoppo" is from Chinese Pidgin English. Some people thought it came from "Hubu" (the "Board of Revenue," a government department). But the historian Jacques Downs says that the origin of the word is unknown. This is because the Hoppo had no real connection to the Board of Revenue. The Hoppo sent money to the Imperial Household, and these two government groups often had opposing interests. Henry Yule and A. C. Burnell in their book Hobson-Jobson Glossary of Anglo-Chinese Words mention that the term "is said to be a corruption of Hoo poo [Hubu]." They also note that Samuel Wells Williams gives a "different account," but that "neither gives much satisfaction."
