Would you argue that the Chinese government played an "active" or a "passive" role in the world trade in silver in the 1700s and 1800s?
Justify your answer.
How did the government play the role?
How does your textbook describe the flow of silver to China? Does it suggest an "active" or "passive" role?
Textbooks are often said to be behind current scholarship on issues. Would you say this was true of your textbook in this case?
Note that some people today, in the 21st century, think of commercial activity as “new” to China.
Are they correct?
How might the policies of the People’s Republic of China, after its establishment by the Chinese Communist government in 1949, have affected this view – particularly during the period of Mao Zedong’s leadership, from 1949-1976.