Translation activities are conditioned by multiple forces both within and beyond literary system

among which patronage constitutes a crucial external regulatory factor. Drawing on André Lefevere's theory of patronage

this article examines Li Hongzhang's patronage of the missionary-translator John Fryer during the Westernization Movement of the late Qing dynasty. The study finds that

through the tripartite mechanisms of normative values

economic and status components

Li Hongzhang strictly confined Fryer's translation scope to the domain of practical science and technology

while reinforcing a relationship of dependency through remuneration and honorific recognition. Fryer's autonomous initiatives in popular science education and grassroots dissemination

by contrast

reveal a limited yet genuine subject agency operating within the interstices of the institutional framework. The relationship between the two was not one of unilateral domination but rather a dynamic structure of negotiation

accommodation and reciprocity. This conclusion offers a useful frame of reference for understanding the social mechanics of translation and the modern Sino-Western cultural exchange.