Tan Suqua

Tan Suqua was a Chinese merchant in Canton and together with his sons was at the centre of the commerce in Canton for more than 60 years (ca. 1716 to 1778). By 1730, his export house was one of the largest and wealthiest in Canton.

Suqua probably started trading with the English East India Company in 1716 and in the next 5 years has become the main supplier of tea and silk to the EIC, but he also had dealings with Portuguese, Swedes, French, Dutch, Muslims and Armenians as well.

At the height of his power in the early 1730s Tan Suqua became a target of competitors who accused him of secretly trying to monopolize the trade and cheat foreign companies for his and his cohorts' personal benefit. However, he and his family remained one of the prominent players in the trade until the changing environment of the1770s brought the house to a gradual end.