Author Bio:
Ch'ien-lung is an 83 year old emperor, whose rule was from 1735 to 1795. He ruled China even until his death in 1799, but as a retired ruler. He was born in 1711.
Date/Context:
With the Canton System, British were feeling confined. The Canton System was the way of trading in China, which went through 13 companies that were selected by the government. These companies were given legal responsibilities over the trade in China. There was a letter sent to Ch'ien-lung in hope that he would make the difficulties on British merchants be lessened. The British failed, as the court believed them to be giving presents to Ch'ien-lung for his birthday. This letter was written in 1793.
Summary:
The emperor is stating what had happened before he rejects all of the requests of the British, giving reasons as backing to his choices. These requests to have the British control their own trade and to have an ambassador in the court.
Key Quotation:
"Yesterday your Ambassador petitioned my Ministers to memorialize me regarding your trade with China, but his proposal is not consistent with our dynastic usage and cannot be entertained."
This was a great summary, though I thought that it could have included a few more ideas without being too extensive. One of these ideas could have been that, at the end of the document, the emperor wrote that any British merchants that dock on Chinese land will face expulsion. On the other hand, your key quotation was an excellent choice, as it successfully captured the main idea of the letter, and the background/context gave a great description of the situation.
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