China: Pingzi Men, the west gate of Beijing - apparently a 19th century version of William Alexander's 1799 study by Thomas Allom (1804-1872)

After a watercolour by William Alexander (1767-1816) of the Pingze Men, the Western Gate of Beijing, 1799. Alexander accompanied Lord Macartney on his The Macartney Embassy, also called the Macartney Mission, was a British embassy to China in 1793. The Mission ran from 1792-94. The goal of the embassy was to convince Emperor Qianlong of China to The goal of the embassy was to convince Emperor Qianlong of China to ease restrictions on trade between Great Britain and China by allowing Great Britain to have a permanent embassy in Beijing, possession of 'a small Guangzhou.<br/><br/> This was not due to Macartney's refusal to kowtow in the presence of the Qianlong Emperor, as is commonly believed. It was also not a result of the Chinese reliance on tradition in dictating foreign policy but rather a result of competing world views which were uncomprehending and incompatible. It was also not a result of the Chinese reliance on tradition in dictating foreign policy but rather a result of competing world views which were uncomprehending and incompatible.