Abstract
Henri Bertin and Louis XV’s Gifts to the Qianlong EmperorIn 1764, Henri Bertin, a minister of state under Louis XV, provided instruction in French art and manufactures to two Chinese Christians, Aloys Ko and Étienne Yang, so that when they returned they could report on Chinese practices and techniques. Setting sail in 1765, Ko and Yang took a number of gifts—presented to Bertin by the king. The gifts, however, became part of negotiations between imperial officials, the emperor, and the French Jesuits at the Qing court. This episode illuminates the role of diplomatic gifts as political and cultural mediators between two great nations.
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