At that time, China's GDP accounted for 32% of the world, India accounted for 24%, and five European countries including Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Italy accounted for 17%. The Qing dynasty owned about one third of the world's wealth.

Western missionaries introduced China culture to Europeans, which triggered the upsurge of Chinese style in18th century. Europeans highly praised China's culture, thoughts and art. By the end of 18, the heyday of the Qing Dynasty had ended, and Europeans had negative comments. Margaret, the British minister who broke with Emperor Qianlong, thought that the Qing Dynasty had declined.

1775-1783, the American War of Independence broke out. After the War of Independence, China and the United States began trade relations.

The beginning of trade relations between the United States and China can be traced back to the voyage of the American merchant ship "empress of china" from new york to Guangzhou, China on February 22nd, 784/KLOC-0.

The 360-ton merchant ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean, bypassed the Cape of Good Hope, passed through the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and arrived in Huanggang, Guangzhou on August 23rd of the same year. "empress of china" loaded more than 40 tons of American native products such as leather goods and ginseng, and was welcomed by "Thirteen Lines" in Guangzhou. When the ship returned four months later, it was full of tea, porcelain, silk, lacquerware, Nanjing purple cloth and Fujian cinnamon. Its successful maiden voyage caused a sensation in the United States, and all the goods from China were snapped up (it is said that even Washington, the founding father, made a special trip to buy a dragon teapot). The voyage brought the shipowner a profit of $30,000.

At that time, US congressmen excitedly thought: "Trade with China may open up a huge road to riches for the United States." Two years later, the US Congress officially appointed Samuel Shaw, who was in charge of trade affairs in empress of china, as the first American consul in Guangzhou. According to historical records, the second and third American merchant ships that arrived in Guangzhou were the Hope and the Grand Turk respectively. Soon, an American company named "Guangyuanxing" opened in Guan Yi District near the Pearl River.

1789 and 179 1 year, the us congress passed the preferential trade bill with China twice, which proved that the early us-China non-governmental trade was valued by the us government. The United States soon surpassed France, the Netherlands, Portugal and other countries to become the second largest country in trade with China after Britain (according to statistics, during the period from 1786 to 1833, the number of American merchant ships in China reached 1004).

Generally speaking, before the Opium War between China and Britain, bilateral trade between China and the United States was basically equal and mutually beneficial, and it was a purely commercial relationship. Comparatively speaking, American businessmen are more law-abiding and friendly than other big countries, so they are more popular with China people. In Huamei, the foreign-funded company was born and died, split and reorganized, and formed a "flag-prospering foreign company" (Russell &; Co.) was dominant (according to the statistics of 1829, this foreign firm accounted for 50% of the US-China trade at that time), while "Olympus &: Co" was unique (this foreign firm was the only foreign firm among American businessmen in China that did not participate in the opium trade).