A Study on Consumption of European Red Wine in China (1680-1840): state of the art, questions, hypothesis, sources and methodology

Abstract

The global history perspective and comparison research between Eurocentric and Sinocentric methods on economic history give us new perspective on the topic of European-Chinese trade during early modern period. Compared with the large number of researches on the consumption society of Western Europe around the 18th century about the goods from Eastern world like tea, silk, and porcelain, very few researches have been done about the European commodities in Eastern countries. Especially, the studies on consumption of European wine in China market during the 17th and 18th centuries is completely void. Therefore, based on the economic conditions of southern and eastern China, considered the geographical, political and cultural aspects, several questions and hypothesis are designed, including consumption groups of the European wine, the consumer volumes, consumption habits, wine market shares, the merchant groups¿ role, etc. The research will be down upon the cross-referencing of primary data and the materials, along with the application of database.