316ĈčĆĕęĊė 11
The Amoy Riots of 1852:
Coolie Emigration and
Sino-British Relations
Introduction
Large-scale shipments of Chinese coolies to foreign lands under contract
began soon after the opening of βive ports (Guangzhou, Amoy, Fuzhou,
Ningbo and Shanghai) to foreign trade under the terms of the Treaty
of Nanjing in 1842. The βirst shipment was sent from Amoy to Îsle de
Bourbon (Reunion Island) aboard a French vessel in 1845. Thereafter
Amoy supplied the largest portion of contract emigrants until this
βlourishing human trade shifted to other locations in the early 1850s.
Despite the illegality of such an activity under Chinese law, the export
of Chinese laborers from Amoy was openly operated with the connivance
of local Chinese and British consular ofβicials until the outbreak of
riots against the abuses of the trade in 1852. The coolie trade in Amoy
declined drastically after this incident. Until then, Chinese emigration
from Amoy had generally been conducted by local British agencies. Up
to August 1852, 73 per cent of the emigrants were shipped on board
British vessels, and the rest on ships βlying Spanish, French, American
and Peruvian colours.^1
The public outburst of fury in 1852 has been touched upon in a
number of Chinese and English writings. In 1957 Tien Ju-k’ang wrote
about the Amoy riots, seeing this event as another example of an injustice
imposed on Qing China by the western imperialists. He was critical of
both Westerners and the corrupt and incompetent Chinese ofβicials.
Consequently he viewed the riots as a righteous and heroic response by
the Amoy people to exploitation and repression. On the other hand, in his
- Note prepared by Dr Charles Winchester, in FO 663/9, Enclosure 3 in no. 127,
26.8.1852.
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