The Silver-silk Trade Of The Manila Galleon (1565-1815)

The trade of the Manila galleon refers to the shipping trades between Manila (the Philippines), a colonial city of Spain, and Acapulco (Mexico), another colonial city of Spain from 1565 to 1815, about 250 years long. The goods of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon were mainly from China, most of which were the world’s most famous Chinese silk. Lots of silk fabrics were transported to the market of South America and Europe on the Manila galleon. Meanwhile, the silver excavated from Spanish America was carried to China. The thesis is mainly concerned with the cause of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon, the performance of the boom of the trade, its cause of declination, the basic process of the trade and its effects on Spain, Philippines, Spanish America and China.The thesis is divided into five parts. The first part talks about the panorama of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon in the early stage from the mid-16th Century. The Philippines became a part of colony of Spain in 1565, which was the start of trades on the sailing boat of Manila. China and the Philippines were trading with each other from early times, and the silk production in China was developed with rapid speed in the dynasty of Ming. China’s silk was welcomed by the world, providing the goods to export for the Philippines where resources were in lack. Meanwhile, the Chinese merchants were pleased to trade with the Hispanics from Spanish America where there were abundant silver mine. Of course, the innovation of marine technology and the loose policy of China and Spain objectively promoted the trade. In the middle and later 16th century, the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon went prosperous.The second part narrates the prosperity of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon from the late 16th Century to the mid-17th. The overall background of the trade and the establishment of its advanced position are to be stated according to the kind and the increase of trade volume of silk and the analysis of its profit. Of course, other aspects of its prosperity were hidden behind.The third part presents the declination of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon after the middle of 17 Century. Every phase of the trade was made so vivid through the analysis of data. It concentrates on the crisis, revival and final declination of the trade, and then it analyzes the causes of its phases and its main features of times.The fourth part is related to the mode of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon and its voyage management way. The Spanish people, Chinese, Portuguese people and Japanese, motivated by interest, played various roles in the trade. In respect to the mode of trade, the trade of the pancada was gradually converted into a fairer fair trade. The strict voyage management way and the definite division of personnel effectively ensure the harmony of the trade.The last part of the thesis discusses the effect of the silver-silk trade of the Manila galleon. It is analyzed completely from the effects to such countries as Spain, the Philippines, Spanish America and China. To Spain, the trade had an impact upon its national silk production and provoked the contradictions between each other, but, it had mitigated the national price revolution in Spain, maintaining stable its domination to the Philippines.The Philippines, under the impact of its metropolitan state, had made itself have an abnormal economy. However, the trade brought.prosperity to the city of Manila and objectively protected the natural resources of the Philippines. To Spanish America, also, the trade had an effect on its national silk production, but it made Latin America become prosperous and provided jobs for part of people, also it had promoted its retail business and influenced the artistic style of the textile industry and the style of the dressing of the Americans. To China, the trade brought a vast deal of silver to it, having a series of effects on its economic society and promoting a further development of its national silk production.