Thirteen Factories
Encyclopedia
The Thirteen Factories was an area of Canton
(Guangzhou), China, where the first foreign trade was allowed in the 18th century since the hai jin
ban on maritime activities. It is also referred to as the "Thirteen Hongs" or the "Canton Factories".
The site where the factories
stood is now Wenhua Park, and Thirteen Hong Street, onto which the factories backed is now named Shisanhang Road.
", who maintained offices or factories. Chinese citizens often referred to the factories as "Barbarian Houses".
allowed foreigners to trade with China in four cities, including Guangzhou
. In 1686, Westerners were allowed to also live in the area of the factories in Canton, at the head of the Pearl River
. In 1757, the Emperor Qianlong limited Westerners to the port of Canton, and no other area.
In 1793, attempts were made by King George III
who sent representative
Lord George Macartney
to request that ports in northern China be opened to trade. Emperor Qianlong refused the request.
The Thirteen Factories gradually lost importance after the First Opium War
(1839–42), a conflict after China banned the import of British opium
. The Qing court was defeated by the United Kingdom
and as a consequence of the Treaty of Nanking
(1842), was forced to open five ports
to foreigners and to cede Hong Kong Island
to the UK. The Thirteen Factories was no longer the sole place for foreigners to trade and live in China. The factories burned down in 1856 during the Second Opium War
and the western traders relocated to warehouses across the Pearl River
on Honam until the British succeeded in claiming the site of a sandbar (Shamian Island
) in 1859, and it was developed to become a foreign enclave.
The Hongs
in Hong Kong
that became major economic powerhouses beginning in the 1890s are usually credited to the British and other overseas merchants. Despite this, the factories did not play a role in Hong Kong's economy in the 20th century.
, Mowqua, Puankhequa, Goqua, Fatqua, Kingqua, Sunshing, Mingqua, Saoqua and Punboqua.
In 1835, medical missionary Peter Parker, M.D.
opened an Ophthalmic Hospital at 3 Hog Lane. Lam Qua
, a Western-trained Chinese painter who also had workshops in the Thirteen Factories area, was commissioned by Parker to paint pre-operative portraits of patients who had large tumors or other major deformities.
Foreigners were also not allowed to learn Chinese by rule at the time though the British did have Robert Morrison as a translator. The four linguists representing the Chinese side included Atom, Achow, Atung and Akang.
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
(Guangzhou), China, where the first foreign trade was allowed in the 18th century since the hai jin
Hai jin
The Hǎi Jìn order was a ban on maritime activities imposed during China's Ming Dynasty and again at the time of the Qing Dynasty. Intended to curb piracy, the ban proved ineffective for that purpose...
ban on maritime activities. It is also referred to as the "Thirteen Hongs" or the "Canton Factories".
The site where the factories
Factory (trading post)
Factory was the English term for the trading posts system originally established by Europeans in foreign territories, first within different states of medieval Europe, and later in their colonial possessions...
stood is now Wenhua Park, and Thirteen Hong Street, onto which the factories backed is now named Shisanhang Road.
Terminology
Factories were "foreigners quarters" outside the city walls in Guangzhou. These were business markets, not actual factories where goods were manufactured. The name came from the foreign agent term of "factorsFactor (agent)
A factor, from the Latin "he who does" , is a person who professionally acts as the representative of another individual or other legal entity, historically with his seat at a factory , notably in the following contexts:-Mercantile factor:In a relatively large company, there could be a hierarchy,...
", who maintained offices or factories. Chinese citizens often referred to the factories as "Barbarian Houses".
History
In 1684, the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
allowed foreigners to trade with China in four cities, including Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. In 1686, Westerners were allowed to also live in the area of the factories in Canton, at the head of the Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
. In 1757, the Emperor Qianlong limited Westerners to the port of Canton, and no other area.
In 1793, attempts were made by King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
who sent representative
Macartney Embassy
The Macartney Embassy, also called the Macartney Mission, was a British embassy to China in 1793. The Mission ran from 1792–94 . It is named for the first envoy of Great Britain to China, George Macartney, who led the endeavour...
Lord George Macartney
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, KB was an Irish-born British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat. He is often remembered for his observation following Britain's success in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion at the Treaty of Paris that Britain now controlled...
to request that ports in northern China be opened to trade. Emperor Qianlong refused the request.
The Thirteen Factories gradually lost importance after the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
(1839–42), a conflict after China banned the import of British opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
. The Qing court was defeated by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and as a consequence of the Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanking was signed on 29 August 1842 to mark the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing Dynasty of China...
(1842), was forced to open five ports
Treaty ports
The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...
to foreigners and to cede Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
to the UK. The Thirteen Factories was no longer the sole place for foreigners to trade and live in China. The factories burned down in 1856 during the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
and the western traders relocated to warehouses across the Pearl River
Pearl River (China)
The Pearl River or less commonly, the "Guangdong River" or "Canton River" etc., , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi Jiang , the Bei Jiang , and the Dong Jiang...
on Honam until the British succeeded in claiming the site of a sandbar (Shamian Island
Shamian Island
Shamian Island , formerly known as Shameen Island or Shamin Island, from its Cantonese pronunciation, is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China...
) in 1859, and it was developed to become a foreign enclave.
The Hongs
The Hongs
The Hongs were major business houses in Canton and later Hong Kong with significant influence on patterns of consumerism, trade, manufacturing and other key areas of the economy...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
that became major economic powerhouses beginning in the 1890s are usually credited to the British and other overseas merchants. Despite this, the factories did not play a role in Hong Kong's economy in the 20th century.
Factories
The Western factors were allowed to occupy two- or three-story buildings, set back one hundred yards from the river. Each factory contained three or four houses. The warehouses occupied the first floors and elegant apartments were on the second and third floors of the houses. The square in front of the factories was fenced and reserved for foreigners. The streets immediately adjoining the factories were named Thirteen Factory Street, Old China Street, and Hog Lane. These streets were filled with retail stores selling a wide variety of Chinese goods.Thirteen factories
The following are the structures of factory buildings and streets that make up the thirteen factories area. The list is in the order of which they are lined up. The names of the hong-merchants are HowquaHowqua
Howqua was the most important of the Hong merchants in the Thirteen Factories, head of the E-wo hong and leader of the Canton Cohong–Gong1 hong2 . He was once one of the richest men in the world.-Biography:...
, Mowqua, Puankhequa, Goqua, Fatqua, Kingqua, Sunshing, Mingqua, Saoqua and Punboqua.
| English names | Chinese names | Transliteration of the Chinese names |
|---|---|---|
| Factory of Justice and Peace | 義和行（小溪馆） | E-wo-hong Ewo (hong) The Ewo Hong ; Cantonese: yi wo hong) was a Qing Dynasty hong established by Wǔ Guóyíng in Canton in 1783 and later became the leader of the cohong of the Thirteen Factories under the stewardship of Howqua, who took over in 1803... |
| Factory of Tranquillity | 新英國館（保和行）？？ | paeon-ho-hong |
| Hog Lane | 豬巷 | |
| Chow-Chow Factory | 炒炒館（豐泰行、巴斯行） | fung-tae-hong |
| Old English Factory | 舊英國館（隆順行） | bung-shan-hong |
| Swedish Factory | 瑞典行（瑞行） | suy-hang |
| Imperial Factory | 帝國館（孖鹰行） | ma-ying-hang |
| Precious and Prosperous Factory | 寶順館（寶順行） | paon-shun-hang |
| American Factory | 美國行（廣源行） | kwang-yuen-hang |
| Old China Street | 老中國街 | |
| French Factory | 法蘭西館（高公行） | |
| Spanish Factory | 西班牙館（大呂宋行） | |
| Danish Factory | 丹麥行 | |
In 1835, medical missionary Peter Parker, M.D.
Peter Parker (physician)
Peter Parker was an American physician and a missionary who introduced Western medical techniques into Qing Dynasty China. It was said that Parker "opened China to the gospel at the point of a lancet."- Early life :...
opened an Ophthalmic Hospital at 3 Hog Lane. Lam Qua
Lam Qua
Lam Qua , or Kwan Kiu Cheong , was a Chinese painter from the Canton province in Ch'ing Dynasty China, who specialized in Western-style portraits intended largely for Western clients. Lam Qua was the first Chinese portrait painter to be exhibited in the West. He is known for his medical...
, a Western-trained Chinese painter who also had workshops in the Thirteen Factories area, was commissioned by Parker to paint pre-operative portraits of patients who had large tumors or other major deformities.
Policies
The emperor appointed an official called the hoppo, to take charge and collect taxes from the goods traded. The position also overlook whether the trades went accordingly. The hoppo was responsible for merchant relations on behalf of the Qing court. It was an important position since merchants were not allowed to communicate with the emperor directly.Foreigners were also not allowed to learn Chinese by rule at the time though the British did have Robert Morrison as a translator. The four linguists representing the Chinese side included Atom, Achow, Atung and Akang.
See also
- Canton SystemCanton SystemThe Canton System served as a means for China to control trade with the west within its own country. Seen from the European view, it was a complement to the Old China Trade.-History:...
- Old China TradeOld China TradeThe Old China Trade was the name given to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghsia in 1844...
- Hong
- ZaibatsuZaibatsuis a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
- Economy of the People's Republic of ChinaEconomy of the People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China ranks since 2010 as the world's second largest economy after the United States. It has been the world's fastest-growing major economy, with consistent growth rates of around 10% over the past 30 years. China is also the largest exporter and second largest importer of...
- Economic history of China (Pre-1911)
- Economic history of Modern ChinaEconomic history of modern ChinaThe economic history of modern China began with the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Following the Qing, China underwent a period of instability and disrupted economic activity. Under the Nanjing decade , China advanced several industries, in particular those related to the military, in an effort...
External links
- Johnathan A. Farris: Thirteen Factories of Canton (.pdf document)
- Regulations Governing Foreign Trade up to 1840 (.pdf document)