Kousia

Kousia, also known as Zhang Tianqiu became a Hong merchant after 1761 engaged in trade with the Europeans which was conducted in Canton, China. His company, Yuyuan Hang, was mainly active in selling of porcelain and tea to foreigners. His business suffered serious losses after his warehouses were twice caught in fire – first in 1773 and again in 1779. Unable to recover from this unfortunate events and losses, Kousia declared bankruptcy in 1779. Since he was unable to repay the debts, he was exiled to Yili.