What were the Thirteen Factories?

BRY2K

Thirteen Factories or Thirteen Hong is an area of Canton City, China where the first foreign trade was allowed in the 18th century. The name derives from the foreign agents, known as factors, who maintained offices or factories. Hong, Chinese word meaning trading company and generally used in the west for the trading companies out of Hong Kong and Macau that did internal trade with south China during the early 19th century to 1997. In 1684, the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing allowed foreigners to trade with China in four cities, including Canton. In 1686, Westerners were allowed to live and trade in the area of Thirteen Factories in the city of Canton, at the head of the Pearl River. In 1757, the Emperor Qianlong limited Westerners to the port of Canton, and no other area. Events France under Louis XIV makes Truce of Ratisbon separately with the Empire and Spain. The Thirteen Factories gradually lost importance after the First Opium War, a conflict after China banned the import of British opium. The Qing court was defeated by Great Britain and forced to open five ports to foreigners and to cede Hong Kong to Great Britain. The Thirteen Factories was no longer the sole place for foreigners to trade and live in China. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Thirteen-Factories Aug 21 08, 4:37 AM

zbeckabee

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 "factors", who maintained offices or factories. Chinese citizens often referred to the factories as "Barbarian Houses". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_Factories Aug 21 08, 5:01 AM