The 1814 "Ayew Incident ": Linguists in Sino-British Relations in the Nineteenth Century.

In 1814, Li Huaiyuan, alias Li Yao, Ayao (Ayew), a linguist (tongshi) in Guangzhou, was arrested and thrown into jail by the Chinese authorities, apparently for his service to the British traders in bringing letters and presents to a senior minister in Beijing. The British made various attempts to rescue him, including suspending trade with the Chinese. Ayew was ultimately sent to exile to Xinjiang. The present paper examines this so-called "Ayew Incident" in the history of East India Company trade in China. It analyses the real causes for the arrest of Ayew and explains how and why the British would want to rescue him at the risk of great loss in revenue. It hopes to demonstrate the significant role and position played by the linguists in the Canton System and Sino-British relationship in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]