Home

Find Publications

Theses, dissertations and research publications (including journal articles, conference abstracts and books) from Lund University are collected in this database. Where possible, the option to download a full text document is available. It is also possible to search for Lund University student theses in the student theses database.

Title Laws, crimes and justice in the treaty ports
Author/s Roger Greatrex
Department/s Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies, Lund University
Full-text Full text is not available in this archive
Publishing year 2007
Document type Conference
Conference name Cultural Encounters in the Treaty Ports
Conference date 2007-12-22
Conference location Guangzhou, China
Status submitted
Quality controlled yes
Language English
Abstract English On 10 September 1751 the Swedish botanist Pehr Osbeck visited the outskirts of Canton. On his way back into the city he was surrounded by a gang of robbers who demanded money from him. When they did not receive any money, they pelted Osbeck with large stones; it was very fortunate that he was not severely injured. One of the questions this paper discusses is what were the laws in China at that time governing crimes committed against Europeans in the eighteenth century. The corollary questions that must also be addressed are what were the laws regarding crimes committed by Europeans against Chinese, as in the case, for example, of the killing of the burglars Li Tingfu and Jian Ya’er in Macao in 1748 by the Portuguese Amaro and Antonio, and what was the attitude of the authorities to crimes committed by Europeans against other Europeans, often of a different nationality from themselves. Drawing upon historical records, legal statutes and provincial sub-statutes, and case histories, this paper analyses this complex topic. In addition to taking up crimes of violence, such as murder and manslaughter, this paper also draws on cases concerning smuggling, robbery and gambling. Comparison is further drawn between the legal treatment of crimes involving Chinese and Europeans, with cases involving Chinese and Koreans. Such a comparison of the legal interaction between China and its northern neighbour, regarded by the Yongzheng Emperor as a respectful vassal, and between China and the often disobedient Europeans along the southern Chinese coast, can provide us with a new perspective in comparative legal history.
Subject Law and Political Science
Keywords Qing, China, Law, Crime

 

 

Contact

Jörgen Eriksson
Kristoffer Holmqvist
Mikael Graffner

Email: publicera@lub.lu.se
+46 (0)46 222 0326

"ReSearch for the Future"

Research for the future

Lund University's "ReSearch for the Future" magazine (Pdf, 10 Mb) presents a range of research from across the University.