In the eighteenth century a British employee of the East India Company did try to use Chinese studies for a more practical end but it was a complete disaster.
十八世紀東印度公司與東方的貿易到達顛峰，當時一些雇主為了擴張貿易，也啟用中國助手學習中文，可惜不但成果不彰，還釀成慘劇。