Our Great Qing: Revisiting the Macartney Embassy and China's Long 19th Century

About us

Join us as Dr Hannah Theaker discusses the Macartney Embassy and China's long 19th Century.

The Macartney Embassy (1792–1794) was the first official British diplomatic mission to China, led by George Macartney to the Qing dynasty's Qianlong Emperor. Aiming to open trade, establish a permanent embassy, and ease restrictions in Canton, the mission failed to achieve its goals as the Emperor viewed the requests as contradictory to tradition and unnecessary.

Dr Theaker is a Lecturer in History and Politics at the University of Plymouth. She teaches across the history and politics departments, offering a range of courses on China, refugee studies, historical methodology, postcolonialism and the Global South.

Hannah joined the History and Politics departments at the University of Plymouth in 2021, having previously been the Plumer Junior Research Fellow in Oriental Studies, St Anne's College, University of Oxford.

Her work explores empire, rebellion, migration and the co-construction of religion and ethnicity in China's northwest, with a particular focus on the impact of 19th century state-directed resettlements of Muslims following the Great Northwestern Rebellions, 1860-1872.

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