Trading with Traders
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Abstract
Most of the traders in the foreign community at Canton were capable businessmen and tough negotiators with specific and precise demands, and consequently not easy to please. But even in this environment, many of them greatly enjoyed the local shopping experience and held both the service and the products provided in high regard. The shopping alleys in the area of the factories and the streets on the periphery made the southwestern suburb of Canton where they were located one of the greatest shopping centres in Asia. The shops offered a staggering selection of Chinese goods that were made exclusively for a western clientele and were available only in Canton. In addition, they were a model of efficiency. The shopkeepers, recognizing the value of awe-inspiring displays, competitive pricing, fine craftsmanship, and customer service, employed marketing strategies that dazzled the western traders. Shops were often a combination of a shop and a workshop, and a number of them offered visitors behind-the-scene demonstrations of the production process. Such tours were more than entertainment; they were undoubtedly given to entice customers to make purchases. While negative reports of the shopping experience exist, they were the exception rather than the rule. The many accounts that exist, regardless of the nationality of the writer, present a very positive view of traders’ shopping experience in China and show a high regard for Cantonese shopkeepers.