In no language could the conversation have been any more definite and in none could fewer words have been used. In spite of its barbarous nature pidgin was quite sufficient for all commercial transactions and in default of any other means of communication could over a wide range of subjects. During a Japanese air raid in Chungking last summer I shared the hospitality of a dugout with a distinguished French delegate to the League of Nations. He had a fair command of pingin and in the two hours that we had to wait for the air-clear signal we carried on an animated conversation on a variety of subjects form Wilson’s policy at Versailles to the high price we had to pay for the beer in Chungking.

沒有任何語言可以用更少的字數來表達地更明確。不去看它的原始狀態，這語言足以應付所有商業交易，還可以在缺少其他溝通方式的狀況下，用來討論廣泛的事務。去年夏天日本人在重慶發動空襲，我跟一位高雅的，國際聯盟的法國代表一同躲進防空洞，他對pidgin有相當的瞭解，在等待防空警報解除的兩個小時裡，我們談論了許多不同層面的事；從美國威爾生總統對凡爾賽條約的政策，到重慶市裡貴得嚇死人的啤酒。（編按：”League of Nation”，翻譯成國際聯盟，是第一次世界大戰後，英、法、美、三國主導的凡爾賽條約之後誕生的世界組織，由威爾生總統提出的構想，目的是防止世界再度陷入大戰。不過你也知道的，世界大戰終究還是打了第二次。）

These pidgin English conversations between the taipan and the compradore were of daily occurrence. They discussed in detail every transaction in which the firm was engaged or had in prospect and exchanged opinions as to the state of the market. The lack of language medium in which nice distinctions could be drawn and opinions qualified made for efficiency in the conduct of business. Each expressed approval by “can do” and disapproval by “no can.” Any further comment or explanation would have been mere garrulity from which their limited vocabulary saved them. But within the limits of a few hundreds words they found plenty of conversation. Aside from his house-hold servants the compradore was the only Chinese with whom the foreign business man came into daily contact. If he had any curiosity about the customs and life of the strange country in which he was living he took the word of his compradore as the final authority. As a result many strange ideas were perpetuated for the compradore was seldom an educated man and many of them were entirely ignorant about everything except business. Because of his sole reliance on the compradore the old-fashioned taipan was often appallingly ignorant about China.

這些原始的商業英語對話出現在大班與買辦每天的交談當中。他們討論公司現在或是未來規劃中的每一筆交易，彼此交換意見像是市場狀況等等。在缺乏語言媒介之下，在生意經營中美好的願景被描繪，經過篩選的意見表達地更有效率。每一個意見被「can do」贊成，或是被「no can」否定。任何更進一步的評論與解釋都顯的多餘，也還好他們有限的字彙解救了他們。但是在這有限幾百個字彙中，他們做了大量的對話。除了家裡的傭人，買辦是外國商人每天要接觸的中國人。假如他對所居住的奇怪國家某些生活習慣感到好奇，他會把買辦的意見當成權威。結果許多奇怪的觀念被保存下來，原因是買辦是沒受過教育的人，而且許多的買辦除了做生意的本領外，幾乎是不學無術。因為只能信任買辦，通常老一輩的大班對中國的無知近乎讓人感到毛骨悚然。

The compradore became a synonym for wealth and was a lordly figure on whom petty shopkeepers looked with awe. He was a daring trader and often made immense fortunes not only for himself but for the firm which employed him. Some of them acquired legendary reputations for an ability to tell which way the market in silk or silver or tea was going to turn. Foreigners who speculated in commodities would risk fortunes on a hint from him. The Englishman who talked to him might be an Oxford graduate but he treated his illiterate compradore with respect.

買辦變成富有的同義字，以及小店主們必須敬畏看待的權勢象徵。他是個敢於冒險的生意人，並且幫自己與受雇公司賺進不可思議的財富。有些人擁有能看出市場交易上絲、銀、或茶葉風向轉變的能力，而得到傳奇的名聲。外國商人依照他的提示賭上家產來做投機生意。一個跟他談話的英國人可能會是牛津大學的畢業生，但他對沒受過教育的買辦依舊是畢恭畢敬。

He was considered to be indispensable in the conduct of any general import and export trade. When a firm started in business, whether it was a one-man show with a few thousand dollars of capital or a huge limited liability company, the first and most important thing to do was to engage a compradore – or possibly a half-dozen of them – one for each department. There were always plenty of applicants for the position, for the import and export business promised a volume of trade and liberal profits which were not to be found in the more restricted and highly competitive domestic trade.

買辦被視為一般進出口貿易經營裡不可缺少的一環。當一家公司開始營運，不管是一人獨秀基本額只有千把塊美金的小公司，或是大型股份有限公司，最重要的第一件事就是雇用一個買辦 – 或許可能是半打買辦 – 每個部門一個。總是有許多人申請這職位，因為進出口貿易保證有大量的生意與充足的利潤，在受限制且競爭激烈的國內市場可找不到這樣的油水。

If the compradore was satisfied that there was money to be made in the agencies and if the foreigner was satisfied that the compradore had connections which would enable him to make sales and secure produce on favorable terms they began to talk over the arrangements. Usually the terms provided that the foreigner paid the compradore a salary and from his salary he would meet the wages of the Chinese staff. While the compradore’s quarters were always crowed with Chinese assistants and every foreigner had more clerks and office boys than he knew what to do with, this did not necessarily mean a large pay roll. They were all dependant relatives of the compradore. In many cases the employees got no salary at all. He fed, lodge and clothed them and at the end of the year they got a share of the profits.

假如買辦很滿意在代理公司有錢賺，而假如外商也很滿意買辦擁有能夠讓他銷售與存貨的人脈關係，他們會開始商討該如何安排適當的契約。通常契約裡有提到，外商支付買辦薪水，這份薪水可以讓他來雇用中國籍的員工。儘管買辦的辦公室總是擠滿助理，外商裡有些員工與小弟甚至連老闆都不知道他的職責是什麼，卻不代表需要一份龐大的薪資表。他們通常是跟買辦有關係的人。在許多例子下，雇員根本沒有領薪水。買辦對這群員工包吃、包住、包穿，然後在年尾的時候包個大紅包給他們。

Then there was the very important question of how much capital the compradore would put into the enterprise and just how the profits would be divided. The arrangement differed with each concern but usually the compradore was supposed to supply the working capital. In actual practice a good many foreigners got started in business with little investment beyond the price of a ticket to China. No matter what the other details of the arrangement might be the compradore always handled the current cash. In the early days this consisted of a great variety of Chinese and foreign silver dollars, each having different and fluctuating value to say nothing of a fair amount of counterfeits which were just as valuable as the genuine coins if they contained enough silver. Few foreigners ever pretended to master the intricacies of Chinese currency or have more than a theoretical knowledge of the Chinese banking system. In many cases the taipans kept their own books in their own national currencies either U.S. dollars or pounds sterling.

然後這裡產生了一個非常重要的問題，買辦投入多少資本到公司，而利潤又要怎麼分配。不同的狀況有不同的作法，但是通常買辦一般都要負責勞力資本。實際運作上，許多外國商人只靠著比到中國的船票還要再多一點的資本來開始新事業。不管契約的其他細項是什麼，買辦總是掌控著現金。在早期這些現金是由中國與外國的銀幣所組成，每種各有其不同與波動的價格，更別提有大量銀含量跟官方鑄幣一樣高的偽幣混雜在其中。極少數的外國人曾經假裝要掌握中國貨幣的複雜性，或是實際操作過中國的銀行系統。許多狀況下，大班們只管自己國家的貨幣像是美元與英鎊，不去插手這方面的事。

The compradore, through his staff, made all the sales to Chinese, guaranteed the accounts and made the collections. He also financed the purchase of export cargo. Every activity of the hong was divided between “taipan pidgin” and “compradore pidgin.” For example it was the taipan’s business to pay for the English-language stationery and forms and the compradore’s business to pay for Chinese-language forms. The compradore paid the insurance to cargo until it was stored in the taipan’s godown, where it became his responsibility. The money to be made from the sale of waste packing material went to the compradore. As it was also his responsibility to provide the godown coolies he usually short-circuited what would otherwise have been a complicated and troublesome business by giving the coolies the packing cases in lieu of wa1ges.

買辦透過他的員工跟中國市場做買賣，保證獲利且越賺越多。他也投資買進出口貨物。公司每個行動被分成「大班的事」與「買辦的事」。舉個例子來說，大班要負錢買英文文具與表格，而買辦要買中文樣式的。買辦要付貨物保險，直到貨物被存放在大班的倉庫裡，才變成大班的責任。銷售包裝貨物時所產生的廢棄材料的所得歸買辦。當買辦也要負起提供倉庫搬運苦力責任時，他經常會忙到「秀抖」，不然在發薪水的地方要提供這些苦力搬運器材一直是件複雜又繁瑣的作業。

In theory and according to any legal interpretation of the contract, the compradore had no proprietary interest in the business and might be discharged like any other employee. This was a rare occurrence and I do not remember that it was ever done except by a few small and new firms. The compradore not only controlled the entire Chinese staff but all connections either for the sale of merchandise or the purchase of produce. A change meant making an entirely new start, handicapped by the vengeful animosity of the old compradore’s friends and business associates.

理論上與根據合約上的任何法律解釋，買辦沒有公司的財產股份，也可能像其他員工般被解雇。但這情況很少發生，除了幾家新的小公司外，我不記得這種事發生過。買辦不止控制所有的中國籍員工，還有買賣銷售的管道。這樣的改變意味著全新的開始，以及要面對買辦的老朋友與商業組織報復性的妨礙行為。

The taipan did not concern himself with small things. The compradore accumulated the Chinese produce for export by innumerable small purchase; disposed of the imported merchandise by means of innumerable small sales. The taipan had nothing to do with these deals and was often unfamiliar with his sources of supply or the identify of his customers. He dealt only with large sums of money as represented by the value of completed cargoes. He usually talked in terms of “lakhs” which meant a hundred thousand ounces of silver. All personal accounts such as club bills and household expense were settled through the compradore. Instead of writing checks on the bank for these and other items the manager or foreign members of the staff would write “compradore orders” which was an order to the compradore to pay the amount specified. These slips of paper had about the same legal standing as bank checks and were accepted by banks for deposit. When it occasionally happened that the compradore of a large concern was in difficulties and failed to honor these orders there was as much of a scandal as would have been created by a bank failure.

大班對小事情並不關心。買辦藉由數不清的小量買進囤積出口的貨物，用數不清的小量賣出來處理進口的貨品。大班與這些交易豪無關連，而且經常不清楚這些貨源供給與顧客到底是打哪來的。他只有處理全部貨物的大量金額交易。他通常使用”lakhs”這個詞，代表著十萬盎司的銀。所有個人帳目像是上酒家的帳單、家庭開支都是經由買辦處理。外籍經理或是員工不會用銀行支票來支付這些款項，而是寫一張「買辦匯票」，讓買辦來付這些條列項目的總額。這些紙條有接近支票一般的法律效力，並被銀行接受當成借款的保證。當偶而發生大型公司的買辦有困難而無法兌現這些匯票時，這樣的醜聞幾乎就像銀行破產般嚴重。

In large and prosperous establishments the compradore was a ever-useful friend to junior foreign employees who were inclined to spend more than their income. They would draw compradore orders in payment of their debts on the theory that the amount would be deducted from salary. But if the firm as prosperous and the compradore was making money, he was not inclined to press too harshly for the prompt liquidation of these balances, which might be carried on from month to month or year to year. Many an unwise young foreigner who gambled too heavily had his credit saved by the compradore who honor his order in settlement and discreetly said nothing about it to the taipan. He was not unaware of the fact that the young man he was placing under such obligations might in a few years be sitting at the taipan’s desk.

在生意昌旺的大型企業，買辦對有入不敷出傾向的年輕外籍雇員來說，是個「永遠好用的朋友」。他們會用買辦匯票提領現金來支付債務，理論上應該是要從薪水理扣得。但是假如公司生意很好，買辦一直在賺錢，他不會傾向太嚴厲要求馬上清算這些結餘，所以可能這樣的狀況會月月年年持續下去。許多賭債滿屁股的愚蠢年輕人被買辦挽救過他的信用，買辦用匯票結算這些爛賬，而且很小心沒讓大班知道。他不知道事實上，這個滿屁股爛債的年輕人，在幾年之後可能坐上大班的位置。

It often happened that a compradore would be rolling in wealth while the firm of which he was an employee would be struggling for an existence and the taipan unable to meet his personal bills. This was never surprising. It was the custom for the compradore to live frugally and save his money and for the taipan to live lavishly and spend his. Under circumstances like this the compradore would naturally not allow the firm to crash and many were saved from bankruptcy by help from the compradore and others continued for years going deeper and deeper into debt to him. This did not involve any change in the relationship between the compradore and the taipan except that the former had a little more to say about running the business.

這種事情經常發生。當買辦受雇的公司陷入經營困境，大班無法償付個人的帳單時，買辦會賺進一大筆財富。這從來不會讓人驚訝。買辦生活儉樸會存錢，大班生活奢華會花錢。在這種狀況下買辦自然不會允許公司倒閉，許多公司靠買辦的幫忙倖免於破產，而其他的公司在債務堆裡越鑽越深維持了幾年。這並不會讓買辦與大班的關係有任何改變，除非前者有點想要對經營管理發表意見。

In some cases the foreigner’s interest in the business was absorbed completely, and the oldish fellow whose name appeared on the letter heads of the concern and who signed the checks and endorsed the bills of lading was really the employee of the compradore he had hired in his young days. This reversal of position was often accomplished pleasantly and painlessly. The elderly foreigner was ready to retire, the salary he received from the compradore enabled him to do this gracefully, and his duties as normal head of a business did not demand his attention for more than a few hours a day. There is not a little sentiment in those business relationships, for through years of association the foreign business man and his Chinese compradore grow genuinely fond of each other.

在一些案例裡，外國人的股權被完全吸收，老傢伙真的變成了買辦的雇員；他的名字曾出現在公司信件的開頭，他曾簽過支票、在貨物收據背後簽名，還有，他曾在年輕的時候雇用這名買辦。這種職位的對調經常是和諧且無痛的。老外已經準備要退休，他從買辦手裡拿到的薪水夠讓他優渥地過下半輩子，而且名義上的經理頭銜讓他一天花不到幾小時的心力在公司上。這些商業的關係感情非淺，經過這麼多年的合夥，外國商人跟中國買辦真誠地喜歡彼此。

With a well-organized compradore department a firm might do a fairly large business with a very small foreign staff, or with no staff at all outside the foreign owner or manager. The only routine duty demanded of him were to take care of the foreign correspondence, countersign the invoices and bills of lading and interview the bankers about arranging an overdraft or getting an extension of time on the payment of drafts which had been accepted. His tiffin at the club might last well into the afternoon or he might go from the tiffin table to the golf course with the comforting assurance that while he was enjoying the fresh air, the compradore was piling up profits. During the sailing ship era the only time when the foreign members of the staff were actually busy was on mail days when they might sit up all the night writing letters and reports to catch a mail closing the following morning. Mails are now received and dispatched with greater regularity but the old custom continued and visitors are not welcome on the day before a steamer sails.

一間公司可以在一個組織良好的買辦部門與一小搓外籍員工，或甚至是只需要外籍老闆或經理的情況下做好一大筆生意。這些人每天日常的職責就只剩管理外國來的郵件、在貨物的發票與帳單上簽名，跟銀行家會面商討關於借貸或是讓對方同意增加匯票付款的延展期。他在俱樂部的午餐可能氣氛愉快地吃到下午，或是他可能吃完飯後帶著愉悅的信心去打一場高爾夫球，這信心就是，當他在享受新鮮空氣時，買辦正在努力堆高鈔票。在海運時代，外籍員工唯一真正忙碌的時間只有在郵件日，他們可能熬夜一整晚撰寫信件與報告，好趕上明天早上截止的收件時間。現在郵件的收發有著更加規律的時間，但是老習慣依舊，在蒸汽船出航前他們是不歡迎訪客的。

Even in the matter of banking the taipan was not indispensable. The compradore had his own banking arrangements with the native bankers and if the Scotchmen who managed most of the British banks were too glassy-eyed he might get credit after the taipan had failed. Each leaned heavily on the other. At infrequent intervals – usually once a month- there was a settlement at which accounts would be checked over and a payment made to one or the other. Thus a large and prosperous establishment might receive or pay out only one check a month covering local transactions. The compradore often handed the taipan a native order or a check for amounts that would represent several tons of silver but there was usually plenty more where that came from. By and large he made more money than the taipan.

即使在銀行事務上大班也並非不可缺少的角色。買辦有屬於他自己跟當地的銀行家建立的管道，而且假如掌管大多數英國銀行的蘇格蘭籍主管們顯得興致缺缺，買辦可能在大班失敗後，由自己的管道得到信貸。彼此互相倚重。偶爾一次 – 通常是一個月一次 – 會有一次清算；帳目會被檢查，看該誰付款。因此一間生意好的大公司可能一個月收到或是付出一張支票，用來包含所有的交易。買辦常會交給大班一張價值有幾噸銀那麼多的本地匯票或是支票，但是通常它的源頭還比這些更多。總而言之，買辦賺的錢比大班還要多。

There was seldom any tendency to inquire into the sources of compradore prosperity. Obviously one with money in the bank was more useful than one was heavily in debt and it was taken for granted that everyone was entitled to some perquisites aside from his regular income. Some taipans might collect secret commissions for their own personal accounts. This was not at all common but such unethical if not fraudulent practices are amply provided for in the phrases of the most generally used and highly respectable code books.

幾乎沒有任何傾向去調查買辦事業興旺的來源。明顯地一個在銀行有錢的人比一個滿身債務的人要有用的多，而且基於一種假設，每個人除了自己固定的收入之外，都會有些津貼。有些大班的私人帳戶會收集秘密的佣金。如此不道德的事一點也不常發生，即使不算是詐欺的實踐，也被廣泛地提供給受重視且最常用的教科書當成範例。

Until it was destroyed by Japanese air raids there was in Hankow a very fine foreign residence which stood as a symbol of compradore prosperity and of gratitude to a system which had enabled the easy accumulation of wealth.

直到被日本人的空襲摧毀之前，在漢口這地方聳立著代表買辦成功象徵的洋樓群，也同時代表著對這個容易累積財富的制度一種感激之情。

A Russian dealer in brick tea returned from a long absence at home to find that his compradore had built, as a present to him, the kind of house that he had been dreaming about fore years but had not been able to afford. After he moved into his fine new home he continued to wonder how it had all happened. A careful review of the volume of business done from the day the compradore was employed failed to explain how he could possibly have saved money for purchase of the land and the construction of the house through legitimate earnings. But the house was there and without a cent of indebtedness against it.

一個交易磚茶的俄羅斯商人在離開好長一段時間後回到家，發現他的買辦建造了一棟他一直夢想很久但負擔不起的房子，當成禮物送給他。直到他搬進新家之後，還持續在想這種事倒底怎麼發生的。他仔細檢視過從雇用這名買辦的那天起所做過的交易，都無法解釋買辦怎麼可能從合理的收入裡存到這筆錢來買土地蓋房子。但是房子就是在那，而且還沒有半分錢的債務要付。

It was just one of those mysteries of a strange country it was futile to attempt to solve. The one indisputable fact was the possession of the title to a piece of property the Russian would never have been able to buy for himself. I have never heard of a second gift of that magnificence but quite a number of foreigners are living in house built for them by their compradores. They pay a very low rental but the compradore keep the title to the property which he hopes will increase in value. Valuable gifts by the compradore are assumed as a part of the established order of things. The wife of the taipan would feel hurt and neglected if the Christmas season didn’t bring her a very handsome present from the compradore but I never heard of anyone ever remembering a compradore in that way. Once a year the compradore gives a dinner to the foreign employees of his hong but there the friendly courtesies begin and end. No one ever entertains a compradore. His position is something like that of a chief steward on a baronial estate, a very useful person whose services are indispensable but no to be considered as a social equal.

這只是這個不可思議的國家所擁有的其中一個無望解開的謎團而已。另一個無需爭辯的事實是關於這些財產的所有權，例如俄羅斯人不可能買得起的那棟房子。我未曾聽過有第二個如此貴重的禮物，但是有部分外國人的確居住在買辦為他們蓋的房子裡。他們只需支付一點點房租，但是買辦保留這些建物的所有權，希望以後能增值。買辦送貴重的禮物好像被當成理所當然的成規。聖誕節要是買辦沒有準備個非常大方的禮物送給大班的妻子，她會感到受傷與被忽視；但我從沒聽過任何人有對買辦做出相同的回禮。曾有一年買辦為外籍員工辦了一場晚宴，但是友好的禮數在那裡開始也在那裡結束。沒有人回請買辦。他的角色有點像男爵莊園裡的總管家，他的人相當有用，他的服務不可或缺，但他的身份地位不被認為是對等的。

In spite of the fact that the wars were fought and treaties were forced on China in the interest of the foreign trader he was not the only one to benefit. For centuries the domestic trade of China had been as stagnant as the Chinese mind of that period. There were no new routes, no new markets, no new articles to sell. The foreign trade which developed as a result of the treaties was a stimulant and a tonic and a blood transfusion. The entire trade of the country took on a new vigor and health. The hereditary of Shansi bankers and the equally hereditary dealers in silverware, silk and tea constituted about the only wealthy guilds and until foreign trade opened new avenues to wealth, the newcomer in business was restricted to the retail shop. The treaties changed all this. Chinese whose ancestors before them had been nothing but petty tradesmen saw new opportunity in the sale of foreign articles or in the purchase of Chinese produce for export.

儘管中國在外國商人的利益下被迫戰爭與簽訂條約，但外國商人並不是唯一的受益人。幾個世紀以來中國的國內市場一直呈現停滯狀態，就像那時期的中國人思想一樣。沒有新的管道、沒有新的市場、沒有新的商品可以賣。條約簽訂之後的外貿發展有如一針興奮劑、一帖補藥以及一次大換血。整個國家的貿易呈現全新的活躍健康氣象。外貿打開通往財富的新管道之前，世襲的山西銀號與商人們在銀器、絲、茶葉的交易上建立起壟斷的行會，新進者只能被限制在零售店。條約改變了這一切。這些因世襲制度壓迫而祖先皆是微不足道的小商人們見到了全新的機會，販賣外國商品與出口中國商品的機會。

For a thousand years the only population movements in China had been caused by flight before an invader. Successive invasions from the north and driven millions to the south until Canton became the largest city in the country. The raids of Japanese pirates drove all but fishermen from the coast. With the opening of ports for the residence of the foreign trader there was the entirely new phenomenon of people being attracted toward new homes instead of being driven from old ones. There was a steady influx of Chinese toward the open ports. Shanghai provided the most powerful magnet, but there were many others: Ningpo, Foochow, Swatow, Chefoo, Wuhu, Hankow, Shasi, Chungking, Tientsin. Most of these people were unimportant villages until the trade of the foreigner made them important ports. Foreign traders set up their hongs in all of these places, gave employment to many Chinese and provided business opportunities for many others. Real-estate values in China had remained unchanged centuries but now they rocketed. Many a wealthy family in Shanghai possessed a century go nothing more than an acre of rice land. In every section that came under foreign influence there was that wholesome stimulation of the social as well as economic life of the people that comes with the creation of new wealth and the lifting of families from poverty to a certain degree of prosperity.

一千年來中國唯一一次的人口遷移是為了逃避入侵者。從北方來的入侵行動驅使數百萬人逃到南方直到廣東變成最大的城市。日本倭寇的侵擾幾乎把除了漁民之外的所有人驅離海岸。伴隨著港口開放給外國商人當居住區，遷移產生了一種全新的現象；人民是被吸引向他們的新家，而不是從老家被驅離。中國人穩定地流入各個開放後的港口。上海是最吸引他們的，但是還有其他許多地方：寧波、福州、汕頭、煙台、蕪湖、漢口、沙市、重慶、天津。這些地方以前大多是不重要的小鄉鎮，直到對外貿易讓這些小鎮變成重要的港口。外國商人在這些港口都設置了公司，給予許多中國人工作機會，並提供許多商機給其他人。不動產的價格幾世紀以來都沒有變動，但現在有如火箭升空一般。許多上海的富有家庭一百年前只是擁有一英畝農田的農民而已。受到外來影響的每一個地區，社會的生氣蓬勃如同人民的經濟生活一般，伴隨著新財富的創造，把一些家庭由貧困提升到某種程度的富裕。

The compradore was symbolic of this change. He bridged the period when foreigners didn’t know very much about the Chinese, and Chinese didn’t know very much about the foreigner. Considering his limitations he did a very good job of interpreting the two civilizations. He was not a Cnfucian scholar but he was a personification of much that is typical of China. On the whole he was generous and honest. Many a deal representing thousands of dollars rested on a guarantee no more definite than a compradore’s “can do.” Many a foreigner escaped bankruptcy only because he would tear up a contract rather than go into court to enforce his rights.

買辦是這種改變的象徵。當外國人與中國人彼此不熟悉時，他成為這段時間的溝通橋樑。考慮他受到的限制，他在解釋兩個文明的工作上表現得相當出色。他不僅是孔老夫子的學者更是中國典型的象徵。整體來說他是慷慨且誠實的。許多幾千美元的生意不需要更明確的條約，單靠他一句「可以做」就能安穩得到保障。許多外國人免於破產的厄運只是因為他願意撕毀合約，而不上法庭強制執行他的權力。

The increase in the volume of foreign trade made the role of the compradore: appear to be one of increasing importance. There were more compradores and they did a great amount of business. But actually with the passing of each year he became less and less of a necessity. The old-fashioned taipan luxuriated in his ignorance of the Chinese language and of everything that was connected with China. Even those who grew gray through their years on the China Coast persisted in the whimsy that they were only temporary residents who would make a fortune and go home in a few years and so it wasn’t worth while getting acquainted with the country. The old-fashioned compradore never abandoned his Chinese gown and cloth-soled shoes and never improved his rudimentary knowledge of English. Each continued in his comfortable groove, disturbed by nothing more serious than the prospect of diminishing profits. The clumsy arrangement was dictated by necessity but neither made any attempt to change it.

對外貿易的總量增加讓買辦的角色看起來也越來越重要。有更多的買辦出現並做了更大量的生意。但實際上買辦的必要性卻逐年變得越來越低。老一代的大班不懂中文與其他關於中國的事，依然奢侈逍遙地生活。他們就算在中國沿岸地區活到鬍子灰白了，仍然堅持著奇特的想法：他們只不過是短暫停留的居民，在幾年內賺到錢就要回家了，所以不想浪費力氣去認識這個國家。老一代的買辦從來沒有放棄中國馬掛與棉布鞋子的穿著，而且也從不打算改進只具雛形的英文。他們各自維持自己感覺舒服的軌道，除了錢途黯淡之外沒有其他事可讓他們困擾。雙方必須以笨拙的口述來安排工作，但卻沒人試圖去改變。

Each thought that his sons would follow in his footsteps. The sons thought differently. Sons of compradores went to American universities and returned to China speaking flawless English. The sons of the taipans were born in China and most of them spoke Chinese and English with equal facility. To them China was not a country of terrifying mysteries, but the land of their birth for which they had a permanent affection. Neither members of this generation needed a go-between in order to do business in China and their conversations were not confined to pidgin English. Young Chinese went into the import and export business and the work of compradore and taipan was done at the same desk. Some of them employed foreigners as assistants. New foreign firms were established without thought of employing a compradore. Smart young Chinese were employed as salesmen, and as departmental managers. There weren’t any Chinese who could hold positions of this kind when the Treaty of Nanking was signed. The Chinese salesman was one of the developments of modern China – along with Chinese girls who bobbed their hair, played golf and tennis and danced the tango.

每個人都會想，他們的兒子應該會跟隨他們的腳步。可是兒子的想法總是不一樣。買辦的兒子留洋美國大學，回來時說著無瑕疵的英文。大班的兒子在中國出生，大部分的人中文跟英文一樣流利。對他們來說中國不是一個充滿恐怖謎團的國度，而他們也給予這個出生地長遠的影響。他們這一代不需要中間人才能做生意，對話也不被限制在pidgin英文裡面。年輕的中國人投入進出口事業，過往大班與買辦的工作在同一張辦公桌上就能解決。有些人甚至還聘用外國人當助理。新的外商公司設立時不再想雇用買辦。聰明年輕的中國人被聘用為銷售員或是部門經理。在南京條約簽訂的時期，根本沒有人可以應付這樣的職位。中國銷售員是中國現代化之下的產物，跟留著短髮、打高爾夫與網球、跳著探戈的中國女孩一起出現。

Beside them the compradore represented the age of the quill pen and the letter-copying press and all the other business gadgets of the days before the Civil War. He is a vanishing figure.

除了他們之外，買辦代表著國共內戰之前，一個毛筆、活版印刷機與所有其他商業小玩意的時代。他是個只存在於歷史的人物表徵。