hong
hong — noun
1. a type of licensed trading company that operated in Chinese port cities during t
a type of licensed trading company that operated in Chinese port cities during the 18th and 19th centuries, acting as an agent between foreign merchants and local suppliers
Mateo found a map showing every foreign hong in Canton during the 1790s.
historical context: during the 1790s
The hong owner stored chests of tea and silk in waterfront warehouses near the harbour.
countable noun: the hong owner
Chidi compared records from three hongs to trace silver price changes over fifty years.
During the trading season, each hong employed local clerks who spoke English, Portuguese, and Cantonese.
- factory
historical term for a trading station or the building used by foreign merchants; 'factory' was broader and could refer to the physical premises, while 'hong' emphasised the licensed firm itself
- trading house
more general term for any firm engaged in international commerce; lacks the specific Chinese historical and licensing context of 'hong'
- merchant house
similar to 'trading house'; used across many eras and regions, not tied to the Canton trade system
用法筆記
Now primarily historical. The term appears most often in academic writing about the Canton System (c. 1760–1842), when Chinese authorities licensed specific firms to handle all foreign trade. The word is not used for modern companies.