LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Surat: Trade
built 627 days ago
During latter half of seventeenth century, Surat was conducting trade with Siam. Indian textiles were sent to Ayuthia, the traditional capital of Thailand, and brought back tin. Surat ... had trade relation with China. Though the Chinese trade had earlier suffered due to toppling of Ming dynasty, by 1690, Surat was able to develop regular trade relation with Canton. At the same time, its trade with Persia and Mocha continued.
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By the early 20th century, the population had slowly climbed to 119,306 and Surat remained a center of trade and manufacturing, although some of its former industries, such as shipbuilding, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills. Fine cotton goods were woven on hand-looms, and there were special manufactures of silk brocade and gold embroidery (known as zari). The chief trades were organized in guilds. The manufacturing and trading brought an eclectic mix of ethnicities to the city, making Surat's culture unique even in modern times.
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In about 1496 to 1521, a rich Hindu trader called Gopi settled in Surat and he attracted other rich traders in the city. He built large houses, a garden and a small lake.(Gopipura, Ranichakla, etc.are named after him).Portuguese chronicles describe Mallik Gopi as Governor of Surat.
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