The Gilds of China: With an Account of the Gild Merchant Or Co-hong of Canton

The Gilds Of China: With An Account Of The Gild Merchant Or Co-Hong Of Canton – work written by Hosea Ballou Morse and published in 1909. He was a Canadian-born American British customs official and historian of China. As a first approach to the topic discussed in this brochure, the author intended to write an overview article in which the organization and operation of gold enterprises in China and in the Western world should be compared and contrasted. The author found that the information at his disposal about Chinese gold products was mainly in the form of maintenance material, and that, in fact, there was no analysis of the gilding system. Consequently, the author delved deeper into his subject than was his original intention. The author could go even further, but he assures that those who can read this compact booklet will find that the information it contains will satisfy their needs. The author cites a certain degree of personal knowledge of the subject in this topic, but always referred to information already published in print, whenever it existed. Where there are no references to other authoritative sources, the stated fact should be taken on the basis of the author's own authority, either from his personal observations, or based on his study of Chinese history and social institutions.