The Collision of Two Civilisations

"Written by a distinguished French scholar, diplomat and politician, The Collision of Two Civilisations is an account of the doomed attempt in 1793 of Lord George Macartney, leading a mission of 700, to establish permanent diplomatic relations with the Chinese emperor, Qianlong. Regarding himself as without equal, Qianlong could not entertain the idea of diplomatic relations with a vassal, and George III’s magnificent gifts were accepted merely as ‘tribute’ to the Son of Heaven. Peyrefitte uses remarkable Chinese as well as British sources and has produced one of the most colourful as well as most important works in the history of diplomacy. What it shows, of course, is that diplomacy is not enough. This expedition inspired one of Gillray’s most famous cartoons, which adorns the cover of this book. Absolutely not. International trade and investment could hardly have developed and flourished in an unstable world, and diplomats have been as important as soldiers in shaping international order: international law is largely the work of diplomats and foreign ministries. On a more parochial level, the mediation of consuls between merchant vessels and port authorities was essential to avoid misunderstanding and conflict. The Levant Company was so seized with the importance of a British Embassy in Constantinople that it funded the mission itself from its establishment in 1583 until the beginning of the 19th century."