Steam the Tea: The Sino-Russian Brick Tea Market in The Late 19th Century Hankou

The 19th century is often synonymous with intense great power competition and conflicts among ascending nation-states fueled by colonial aspirations. Within this bustling era of international trade, the Sino-Russian brick tea trade in Hankou unveils an intricate partnership woven between Chinese and European interests, reshaping our understanding of rivalry and exploring the late 19th-century neoliberal market's influence. Through thorough analysis of secondary materials, gazetteers, and memoirs, this study scrutinizes the activities and goals of Russian merchants, their Chinese counterparts, and third-party compradors in a balanced manner. As a result, this research paints a fresh portrait of the intricacies of transregional trade, pushing against the notion that Russian involvement in sectors like the tea trade was merely an extension of larger colonial endeavors. Instead, it illuminates how tea production and distribution acted as nodes of cooperation and collaboration between Chinese and Russian merchants.