The Case of Chen Yilao 443
its political side effects. The maritime revenue that the Court valued had
lost its power to act as a stimulus. It had not made the Court commit itself
βirmly to the development of this enterprise. Instead, the Court seemed
to be content with a passive approach, competing against its corrupt
maritime ofβicials to exact even more proβit from the latter’s share.
What about the seafarers? The Court was aware of their indispensable
role in maritime trade, yet it could not shake off its negative image of
these people, especially the overseas sojourners, as lawbreakers and
potential troublemakers. Not surprisingly, the authorities continued to
be suspicious of and apathetic toward their overseas subjects.
The inherent weaknesses in the institution pointed toward a pattern
of ad hoc solutions to problems. The government for its part did not
venture beyond marginal adjustments within the existing framework,
whereas for their part the more successful merchants tended to invest
in bribery and often purchased ofβicial titles at the expense of productive
investment. The latter were simply pawns in the hands of the ofβicials
and depended on the mercy of the state. Consequently, both sides became
prey to the inertia of the status quo, deprived of the daring initiatives
essential to a healthy development of trade policies and organizations.
The seafarers were often complacent and even cherished an illusion
about their conditions, tending to ignore the element of unpredictability.
Chen Yilao was caught unprepared by the periodic and sudden tightening-
up of the rules of the game and fell prey to the system.