清代一口通商时期,西方各国贸易公司在华最大宗的进口货物是茶叶,主要为产自福建、江西两省交接的武夷山区与福建安溪县之红茶以及安徽东南部之绿茶。以荷兰东印度公司为例,其在广州的茶叶供应商为行商,分为公司保商与非保商,其中公司保商为首要供应商。荷印公司向茶叶供应商采购茶叶的途径有三种:与供应商订立合同采购新茶,向供应商散购陈茶,以及从自由市场补购新茶。 During the Qing dynasty, the largest imported goods by western trading companies in China were tea leaves. The main imported products were tea in Wuyishan District of Fujian Province and Fujian Province and Anxi County in Fujian Province and green tea in southeastern Anhui Province. Taking the Dutch East India Company as an example, its tea suppliers in Guangzhou are traders and are divided into company-sponsors and non-suppliers, with company-sponsored suppliers as their primary suppliers. There are three ways for Dutch companies to buy tea from tea suppliers: contracting with suppliers for new tea, buying tea from suppliers and replenishing new tea from the free market.