Guangzhou / A Plan of the City of Canton on the River Ta Ho.

Scarce c.18th engraved plan of the walled city of Canton, present day Guangzhou.

Canton was an ancient city and had flourished as an administrative and trading centre. It had a large wall surrounding the central districts, major avenues within the wall, extensive market districts outside the wall, and constant contact by riverboats with the surrounding countryside and distant ports.

The foreigners lived in buildings called “factories,” which included living quarters, warehouses, and offices for trade. (The  factories did not manufacture anything; the name comes from “factor,” the word for “commercial agent.”) The Chinese called them “hongs”. The factory buildings lined up along the waterfront, each with its distinctive national flag. The British were the first to arrive and the entire quarter acquired the name “Thirteen Factories.” 

References:
Sabin, J. A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time. New York. (1936) 1967. 30483.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974 775.
National Library Australia, Mapping Our World. Canberra 2013 p.143.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 998720
National Library New Zealand: fREng HARR Navi 1744
State Library New South Wales: Call Number: RB/F909.8A/13
State Library Victoria: RARESF 910.8 H24 B
State Library South Australia: RGS Special Coll. 910.8 H314 d