The Hoppo's Books and the Guangdong Maritime Customs 1685–1842 research-article Chao Huang (黃 超), Paul A. Van Dyke Journal of Asian History, Jahrgang 55 (2021), Ausgabe 1, Seite 89 - 120 The Hoppo's books were central to the management of the Canton trade, but to this day, none of them have been found in China. By examining copies of these books in Europe, and consulting other information available in European archives, we now can explain more clearly what characterized these books and how they were used in the administration of the trade. While none of the Hoppo's account books have been found – in any country – so far, European records contain sufficient data to confirm their existence, and these reveal their contents and role in daily operations. The data obtained also reveal some internal flaws in the customs operations, which weakened the administration over time. The Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu 內務府), as can be shown, was partially responsible for the demise of the Canton trade, because it failed to address problems in the collecting of duties and had inadequate checks and balances, which resulted in imperial revenues being diverted into private hands.
Hoppo Mao Keming 毛克明 and the Guangdong Maritime Customs 1732-1735 research-article Huang Chao, Paul A. Van Dyke Journal of Asian History, Jahrgang 53 (2019), Ausgabe 2, Seite 215 - 240