Opening American Commerce with Canton: From the Empress of China to the Columbia Rediviva (1784-1793)

When the Empress of China left New York harbor on February 22, 1784, reaching Canton through the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in six months with a cargo of American ginseng, she opened commerce with China for the so called “new people.” The success of the voyage, that brought tea, porcelain, silk and spices back to the United States with a 25 percent profit, and the active role of Samuel Shaw as American Consul in Canton, encouraged others to invest in further trading with China, following the Pacific route. One of these ships, the Columbia Rediviva, with Captain Robert Gray in command, was the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe, bringing furs gathered on the American Northwest Coast to the markets in Canton, exchanged again for tea and porcelain. Working both for national glory and their own profit, these two men opened American commerce with China, fueling America’s involvement in global trade.