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Life and death: piracy and british steamboat business on the west river (1897-1907)
Author(s)
Date Issued
2012
Conference
Citation
Choi, S. H. (2012 May 3). Life and death: piracy and british steamboat business on the west river (1897-1907). Spring History Symposium 2012, HKU.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
The treaty ports of Wuchow and Samshui on the West River were opened to
foreign trade in 1897. Various British steamboat companies ran passenger lines
plying between Hong Kong, Canton and the above treaty ports. These British
steamers were under the competition from Chinese vessels which could call at
non-treaty ports, and the threat from piratical attacks on the West River. However,
British steamers still enjoyed an advantage over its Chinese competitors: British
flag had the prestige that pirates would not dare to kill people travelling under it.
The piracy case of S.S. Sainam witnessed the bankruptcy of this prestige. This
paper is going to analyze the roles of the Hong Kong government, the Canton
Viceroy and the China Association in formulating the ways of suppressing piracy
and regulating steam navigation on the West River. It argues that uneasy balance
between the sovereign rights of China and the interests of the British mercantile
community was accounted the prolong outrages of piracy on the West River.
Availability at HKSYU Library
