Among the numerous Western merchants who flooded China with opium, causing significant harm to the physical and mental well-being of the Chinese people, one notable exception was American businessman David Washington Cincinnatus Olyphant, who firmly opposed the opium trade and exclusively conducted tea business in China.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1789, Olyphant was a devout Christian since childhood, as his family belonged to the Presbyterian Church. He came to Guangzhou and founded Olyphant & Co. (Chinese: Tongfu Yanghang) in 1828, soon after the United States’ establishment.
As a faithful believer, Olyphant firmly refused to engage in the opium trade, believing that narcotics would harm people's health and corrupt human nature. Olyphant & Co.'s business was mainly focused on tea. Notably, one of its employees, Mr. Deng Duanfu, was the father of Mr. Deng Shichang, a heroic naval officer in the Beiyang Fleet during the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95).
In addition to his business in China, Olyphant actively promoted evangelization efforts. He had supported various missionaries, including the first missionary to come to China–Robert Morrison, the first American Protestant Christian missionary–Elijah Coleman Bridgman, and others like Samuel Wells Williams, Peter Parker, and David Abeel.
In the book American Missionaries and Modernization of China in the Late Qing Dynasty, it is noted that this generous businessman also reached an agreement with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, stating that anyone willing to come to China to preach can take the merchant ship of Olyphant & Co. for free, reside in the company's accommodations in China at no cost for one year, and receive all necessary provisions.
Apart from preaching the gospel, Bridgman and Williams severely criticized the opium trade in the Chinese Repository, an early journal on China that they edited. Williams was even more excited when China began to crack down on opium. Olyphant's funding also contributed to the publication of these important works.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a church in Xiamen, Fujian.)
- Edited and Translated by Poppy Chan
中国近代史上，有不少西方商人向中国倾销大量鸦片，严重危害了中国人身心灵的健康。但有一例外，在华的西方商人中，却有一位坚决反对鸦片贸易，他在华基本只从事茶叶生意。他就是美国商人奥立芬（David Washington Cincinnatus Olyphant）。
1789年，奥立芬生于罗德岛州的纽波特，他们家是长老会的会友，其从小就是虔诚的基督徒。虽然当时美国刚刚建国不久，奥立芬来到广州，于1828年开设了同孚洋行。
作为虔诚的信徒，奥立芬认为麻醉品会毒害人们的健康，扭曲人性。因此坚决不做鸦片贸易。同孚洋行所经营的，几乎都与茶叶相关。值得一提的是，当时在该洋行工作的有位叫邓端甫的中国人。而他的儿子邓世昌是甲午中日战争（1894-95 年）期间北洋舰队的一位英勇海军军官。
奥立芬在华除了经商外，就是大力推动福传事业。首位传教士马礼逊来和美国首位来华传教士裨治文，卫三畏、伯驾、雅裨理等等传教士，都获得了奥立芬的鼎力帮助。
根据王立新《美国传教士与晚清中国现代化》一书记载：“这位慷慨的商人还和公理会达成协议：‘凡是愿意来华传教之人皆可以免费乘坐奥利芬洋行的商船，并在中国免费居住洋行的房子一年，而且提供一应设备。”
而他所支持的裨治文、卫三畏传教士除了从事宣教事业外，在其所编辑的《中国丛报》上，对鸦片贸易进行了严厉抨击。当中国对鸦片开始严厉打击时，卫三畏更是感到欢欣鼓舞。这些刊物得以出版，也得到了奥立芬资金的支持。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系厦门一名基督徒。
他是鸦片战争前，唯一反对鸦片贸易的西方商人
Among the numerous Western merchants who flooded China with opium, causing significant harm to the physical and mental well-being of the Chinese people, one notable exception was American businessman David Washington Cincinnatus Olyphant, who firmly opposed the opium trade and exclusively conducted tea business in China.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1789, Olyphant was a devout Christian since childhood, as his family belonged to the Presbyterian Church. He came to Guangzhou and founded Olyphant & Co. (Chinese: Tongfu Yanghang) in 1828, soon after the United States’ establishment.
As a faithful believer, Olyphant firmly refused to engage in the opium trade, believing that narcotics would harm people's health and corrupt human nature. Olyphant & Co.'s business was mainly focused on tea. Notably, one of its employees, Mr. Deng Duanfu, was the father of Mr. Deng Shichang, a heroic naval officer in the Beiyang Fleet during the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95).
In addition to his business in China, Olyphant actively promoted evangelization efforts. He had supported various missionaries, including the first missionary to come to China–Robert Morrison, the first American Protestant Christian missionary–Elijah Coleman Bridgman, and others like Samuel Wells Williams, Peter Parker, and David Abeel.
In the book American Missionaries and Modernization of China in the Late Qing Dynasty, it is noted that this generous businessman also reached an agreement with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, stating that anyone willing to come to China to preach can take the merchant ship of Olyphant & Co. for free, reside in the company's accommodations in China at no cost for one year, and receive all necessary provisions.
Apart from preaching the gospel, Bridgman and Williams severely criticized the opium trade in the Chinese Repository, an early journal on China that they edited. Williams was even more excited when China began to crack down on opium. Olyphant's funding also contributed to the publication of these important works.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a church in Xiamen, Fujian.)
- Edited and Translated by Poppy Chan
Beyond Trade: The Only Western Businessman Opposed Opium Trade Before Opium War
