Question

"When we were in Canton, a port in southern China, we came across a woman who cried out in Portuguese ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.’ And because she could speak no more of our language, she very earnestly asked us in Chinese to tell her whether we were Christians. We replied that we were, and for proof we repeated all the rest of the Lord’s Prayer which she had left unsaid. Being assured that we were Christians, she pulled us aside, and weeping said to us, ‘Come along, Christians from the other end of the world, with your true sister in the faith of Jesus Christ.’ Furthermore, she told us that she was named Inez de Leyria, and her father was a great ambassador from Portugal to the Emperor of China. The ambassador married her mother, a Chinese woman, and made her a Christian. Along with her, many were converted to the faith of Christ. During the five days we remained in her house, we made them a little book in Chinese, containing many good prayers." Account of Fernão Mendes Pinto, Portuguese explorer and merchant, circa The ability of Portuguese merchants and explorers to communicate with the local population of Canton was most likely an effect of which of the following?

Answer 1

C. Portuguese merchants had established trading posts in southern China.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to a different source, these are the options that come with this question:

A. Mandarin had replaced Cantonese as the primary spoken language in southern China.

B. Migrations and commercial contacts led to the use of printing in southern China.

C. Portuguese merchants had established trading posts in southern China.

D. Portuguese had replaced Arabic and Persian as the language of trade in southern China.

The main reason why the Portuguese merchants and explorers were able to communicate with the local population of Canton was because the Portuguese had already established trading posts in Southern China. This meant that many explorers and merchants were already well-acquainted with Chinese people. The first Portuguese explorer to arrive in China was Jorge Alvares in 1513. Eventually, the explorers established a trading post in Hong Kong, beginning regular trade between Portugal and Southern China.