Abstract
Maritime merchants, by nature, travelled abroad frequently and often stayed overseas for a while. Especially since their voyage was carried out by sailboats, which relied critically on the conditions of seasonal wind, their stay at overseas posts might be extended waiting for favorable wind. In addition, such businesses as selling goods, receiving payment, and buying local products for return trade took a considerable time. Maritime merchants thus built a trading base at every stop across their voyage. Also, they, to be successful, needed to understand local culture and behave accordingly. Therefore, rather than moving around everywhere randomly, merchants tended to focus on certain regions by visiting there regularly and shaping a deeper relationship with the locals. In so doing, they established and maintained a solid network of people and goods with the regions. Furthermore, it was not unusual for merchants who interacted with various people to represent interests of people of other nationalities and ethnicities. Consequently, Maritime merchants had a dual identity, which was not neatly affiliated in a certain nation. Such complicated characteristics of merchants was a result of their efforts to understand and mediate different cultures.
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