The Wealth of Nations · Character

The Chinese

Chinese people as economic comparison.

minor

Also known as the Chinese, their, themselves

First appearance: viii of the wages of labour

The Chinese's tie to Silver is one of the pressures that moves The Wealth of Nations—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

Cited as an example of a country where the value of precious metals is higher than in Europe, despite greater wealth.

In the storyDigression Concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver During the Course of the Four Last CenturiesOpen this moment free

See The Chinese in Digression Concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver During the Course of the Four Last Centuries Book page

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With Silver (professional): Silver interacts frequently with the Chinese in trade and economic exchanges, reflecting a transactional relationship. With Those Officers (professional): The Chinese and those officers…

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The fuller portrait of The Chinese sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See The Chinese in viii of the wages of labour

Character Web

54 connections

A slice of how The Chinese sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Ancient authorities and examples
English monarchs and economic policy
Labor and wage dynamics

+49 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Smi…

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Relationships

Silver
professional · ambivalent
Silver interacts frequently with the Chinese in trade and economic exchanges, reflecting… How this plays out →
Those Officers
professional · ambivalent
The Teacher
professional · positive
The Proprietors
professional · ambivalent
The Servants
social · ambivalent
The Master
professional · ambivalent
Sir Josiah Child
professional · ambivalent
Charles II
professional · ambivalent
Charles II
professional · ambivalent

Silver
Silver interacts frequently with the Chinese in trade and economic exchanges, reflecting a transactional relationship.
Those Officers
The Chinese and those officers engage in frequent administrative and economic dealings.
The Teacher
The Chinese interact with the teacher in educational or advisory contexts.
The Proprietors
The Chinese have a professional relationship with the proprietors, likely involving land or business ownership.
The Servants
The Chinese interact with the servants in a master-servant social hierarchy.
The Master
The Chinese and the master have a professional relationship, likely in trade or employment.
Sir Josiah Child
Sir Josiah Child and the Chinese have interactions in trade and economic discourse.
Charles II
Charles II and the Chinese have interactions related to royal trade policies or diplomacy.
Charles II
Charles II and the Chinese have interactions related to royal trade policies or diplomacy.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Chinese in viii of the wages of labour

In the story

The Chinese appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Digression Concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver During the Course of the Four Last Centuries
Cited as an example of a country where the value of precious metals is higher than in Europe, despite greater wealth.
V: Of the Different Employment of Capitals
Mentioned as a wealthy nation that never excelled in foreign commerce, with its surplus produce exported by foreigners.
II: Of the Unreasonableness of Those Extraordinary Restraints Upon Other Principles
Mentioned as an example of a nation that acquired wealth while neglecting foreign commerce.
Article I: Of the Public Works and Institutions for Facilitating the Commerce of the Society
Mentioned regarding the maintenance of high roads and navigable canals in China.
Article III: Of the Expense of the Institutions for the Instruction of People of All Ages
Mentioned in the context of historical examples of clergy power and state relations.
Taxes Which Are Proportioned, Not to the Rent, but to the Produce of Land
Mentioned as having a land-tax system where the sovereign's revenue includes a tenth of produce, with attention to infrastructure.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for The Chinese unlock in the free preview.

See The Chinese in viii of the wages of labour

See The Chinese in Digression Concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver During the Course of the Four Last Centuries