English merchants had long been fascinated by the wealthy and exotic kingdom of China. The Atlas emphasizes “the unparall’d Industry of that People, their Application to and Expertness in the Performance of their several Manufactures; the wonderful Variety of their work too is such, as really is not only without Imitation, but in some Cases not to be attempted, or at least perform’d by any but the same People.” Chinese luxury objects including lacquer, silk, and porcelain had no equals in Europe. In painting and decorative arts, too, “such is their Dexterity, and such their Art, that nothing done in Europe...can come up to them.” In addition to its manufacturing excellence, China was a merchant’s paradise, wholly devoted to mercantile exchange inside and outside its borders: “By this Circulation of Trade we find the goods of every Place are to be had in every Place.” European merchants aimed to make the commodities of China equally accessible all over Europe.