Finding something American to sell to the Chinese, whether democracy or widgets, has always been a problem. The first merchant vessel to sail from New York to Canton in 1784 was on a tea-buying voyage, but the cargo it had to exchange was ginseng. American ginseng was consumed by the Chinese for its yin: the female properties of cool, while the native product was thought more yang-heavy. A population explosion may have made it difficult for domestic production to keep up with demand, hence the opening for American ginseng merchants who made a nifty profit.
要找出有哪樣東西是由美國銷往中國的，無論是民主制度還是零配件，向來就不是件容易事。1784年第一艘由紐約駛往廣州的商船就是為了購買茶葉，但它用于交換的貨物卻是西洋參。中國人吃西洋參是因為其性涼屬陰，而本土人參被認為性溫，陽氣較重。當時中國人口激增，可能使本土產量難以滿足需求，這為西洋參商人提供了機遇，讓他們賺得盆滿缽滿。
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