The Consul’s Advice: How to Sell to China
Consul General John Goodnow advises Tacoma merchants that success in the Orient depends on cultural sensitivity and precise adherence to local conventions.
The story, cleaned up
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Consul General John Goodnow, of Shanghai, China, delivered a businesslike address before the members of the Chamber of Commerce regarding the political and commercial relations existing between the United States and China. Mr. Goodnow stated how American businessmen can be more successful in advancing their trade in the Orient. Among other things, he noted that Pacific Coast merchants must advertise more. In dealing with the Oriental, Mr. Goodnow continued, 'send him absolutely what he orders, even being particular in the matter of wrapping paper.' He recounted a merchant who lost $780 because he added Chinese good-luck symbols to handkerchiefs, which was considered inappropriate, and another who lost money by using the wrong color of wrapping paper for screws. Referring to the American restriction of Chinese immigration, Mr. Goodnow believes there should be a change. 'I do not believe in letting coolies into this country,' he stated. 'We cannot afford to do it. But there is another class of Chinese that we cannot afford to keep out. The educated young men who desire training in our colleges and universities should be admitted. It is important to our trade relations in China that they should be.'
“It is important to our trade relations in China that they should be admitted. It is possible for them to come, but our customs regulations are so annoying and so embarrassing that many of them go to Europe instead.”
This reflects the complex early 20th-century tension between racial exclusion policies and the pragmatic needs of international commerce. Today, Tacoma’s economic ties to the Pacific Rim remain a cornerstone of local industry, though the civic conversation has shifted from exclusion to global integration.
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