Museum of Nanyue King – Sailing the Seas Part 4 The Thirteen Hongs of Canton

所有文物皆是广州十三行博物馆藏 All artefacts from Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum Collection, unless other wise indicated.

The Origin of Thirteen Hongs

广州十三行 The Thirteen Hongs, aka the Thirteen Factories or Canton Factories, was a neighbourhood along the Pearl River in southwestern Guangzhou in the Qing Empire from c. 1684 to 1856 around modern day Xiguan 西关, in Guangzhou’s Liwan District.

The Rise of the Hongs

In 1757, Emperor Qianlong of Qing dynasty ordered all ports, except Canton, closed to the outside world. The policy made Canton and the Thirteen Hongs the one and only portal for foreign trade in China. At that time, foreign ships were seen dotted the Pearl River in front of the Thirteen Hongs, with foreign merchants streaming in to discuss business. From the Thirteen Hongs, the trade route stretched across the world to Europe, Latin America, South Asia and other continents.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a large quantity of silk, porcelain and tea were exported from Guangzhou. The south of Guangzhou and the north bank of the Pearl River in the southwest were bustling commercial areas, with many shops and docks. Porcelain produced in Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong were continuously sent to Guangzhou and then shipped and sold overseas from here.

The End of the Hongs

As goods smuggling developed in 1820, many ‘hongs’ started to lose money and fade away. At the end of the First Opium War (1839–1842), the Treaty of Nanking was signed between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty, ending the privilege of the Thirteen Hongs as the only portal for foreign trade in China.

Made in Canton

From the middle of the Qing Dynasty (c. 1636–1912 AD), especially during the “Thirteen Hongs” 十三行 period, Guang porcelain 广彩瓷器, Guang embroidery 广绣, export paintings 外销画 and other “Guang goods” produced in Guangzhou and surrounding areas have sold well all over the world and were well-known at home and abroad. Guangzhou’s overseas trade developed to another peak.

广彩瓷器 Guang Porcelain

Guang Porcelain 广彩瓷器 is characterised by the use of a variety of bright and rich colours and gilt decorations to compose delicate patterns on white porcelain produced by manufacturers in Jingdezhen – China’s porcelain capital.

Kaiguang “开光” is a technique used in Guang porcelain that used stylised friezes to frame the paintings on the vase

The pieces were popular with Europe’s aristocrats in the 18th and 19th centuries.

广绣 Guang Embroidery

Guang (aka Guangdong) embroidery 广绣 is one of the four major styles of embroidery in China (the other three being Suzhou embroidery 苏绣, Hunan embroidery 湘绣 and Sichuan embroidery 蜀绣). Yue Xiu/Guang Xiu (粤绣/广绣) is crafted in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. It is composed of intricate but symmetrical patterns, vibrant colours, varied stitches and a defined weave. Its use of primary colours, light and shade are reminiscent of western paintings.

外销画 Export Paintings

With the continuous expansion of marine trade, China’s porcelain, lacquerware, gold and silverware and furniture were shipped all over the world through commercial ships, spreading Chinese art to the countries along the Maritime Silk Road. On the other hand, the Christian missionaries in China introduced Western art techniques.

Westerners who came to China for trade would often buy some export paintings 外销画 when they returned home. These export paintings, covering a wide range of themes and subjects, including tea cultivation, silkworm breeding, porcelain-making and social customs, vividly portrayed the landscape and lifestyle in China and offered a window for foreigners to learn about Chinese culture.

通草水彩风景人物节日贺卡 Pith Watercolour Scenery and Character Painting Christmas Cards

画【19世纪】Painting, 19th Century

Goods Traded in Thirteen Hongs

The purpose of the establishment of the Thirteen Hongs was trade, and in particular for foreigners to buy goods that were highly sought after in the West. Because of the relative cheap price of these handicrafts, teas and porcelain, Westerners came in droves to trade with China.

丝绸 Silk

From the Yuan-Ming Dynasties to the early Qing Dynasty, the Maritime Silk Road reached its peak. Since the Yuan Dynasty, Hangzhou silk was sold at home and abroad. Chinese silk is shipped eastward to North Korea and Japan, south to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and westward to West Asia to Europe and Africa.

象牙雕 Ivory Carving

漆木 Lacquerware

银器 Silverware

Among those export materials produced in China during the 19th century for European markets, silver is one that we don’t usually see in museum collections because they would remain in private collections as heirlooms.

银錾刻庭院人物长方盒 Silver Carved Courtyard Figure Rectangular Box

银器【19世纪末】广东民间工艺博物馆藏 Silverware, Late 19th century, Guangdong Folk Craft Museum Collection

Chinese export silver box was very popular in the early 19th century, with many patterns of Chinese scenes. This evolved to the more Western themed scenes in late century.

银“陈张李何巡查缉捕”三桅船模 Silver Three Mast Junk Ship Model with Patrol Characters

银器【19世纪末】Silverware, Late 19th Century

Large Chinese export silver model of a junk boat, outfitted with sails, oars, figures, cannons, anchors, and pikes, together with a smaller manned rowboat, both fixed to a carved hardwood stand simulating ocean waves. Chinese hallmark to left side of stern deck. 

The war junk was used to patrol the waters during the Thirteen Hongs period to escort the foreign ships. This is exactly the type of boat used in the Opium War by China against the British. (No wonder they lost.)

A similar silver boat model was presented to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 by Empress Dowager Cixi of China. The gift followed China’s forced acceptance of an open-door policy for trade with the United States.

青花瓷 Blue-White Porcelain

Besides Guang porcelain, other types of porcelains from the surrounding regions like Chaozhou, Quanzhou and Jingdezhen were popular export goods.

青花花卉纹椭圆形盘 Oval-Shaped Blue-White Porcelain Plate with Fitzhugh Armorial Pattern

瓷【清嘉庆】澳门博物馆藏 Porcelain, Qing Jiaqing Reign (1796-1820 AD), Macao Museum Collection

If you are a beginning collector of Chinese export porcelain the name Fitzhugh can be confusing and important. While Fitzhugh is an English name, it is also the pattern name for some very expensive Chinese export porcelain. Thomas Fitzhugh was the Director of East India Company at the Hongs at Canton in the 1780s. He commissioned this design, which now bears his name, for export to England and America

Among the patterns’ claim to fame is its rarity. It is one of the most expensive examples of porcelain exported from China between 1775-1850. Basically the Fitzhugh pattern can be recognised by a diapered border and a central medallion, surrounded by four panel decorations. These represent Chinese symbols of the philosophy of life and the arts.

Influence of Foreign Cultures

From the artefacts recovered from shipwrecks and collected from civilian collectors, we can see the influence of the Western cultures in the products shipped from the Thirteen Hongs.

Religious Influence

Although Western religions have been coming to China since the Tang Dynasty, the integration with local culture was not prevalent and obvious until these Guang goods were produced for the export market.

象牙透雕庭院人物天使纹盒 Ivory Carved Courtyard Figure Angel Pattern Box

象牙【19世纪】Ivory, 19th Century

Since the Qing Dynasty, Chinese craftsmen had integrated Western cultural elements according to the requirements of their customers. This collection adopts the skills of Chinese shell carving, combined with the portrait of Western saints, to form a novel and unique composition, vivid and realistic shape, exquisite and delicate carving.

Carved shells 贝雕 such as these were sold to Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, where they were carved in relief and pierced by hand by local Palestinian craftsmen. In this way, the shells found their way to Europe and elsewhere during the nineteenth century. The shells themselves were sourced mostly from the Red Sea. It was not known if these carved shells made their way here with the missionaries or were copied in China.

Conclusion

Here’s a wonderful 2022 movie trailer that gives a glimpse of what the Thirteen Hongs was about.

The factories’ importance diminished after the opening of the treaty ports (“五口通商”) and the end of the Canton System under the terms of the 1842 Anglo-Sino Treaty of Nanking. After the Second Opium War, the factories were not rebuilt at their former site south of Guangzhou’s old walled city. Their former site is now part of Guangzhou Cultural Park.

About Museum of Nanyue King 南越王博物馆 (MNYK)

Officially known as Western Han Museum of the Nanyue King Mausoleum 西汉南越王墓博物馆, MNYK is always on the top list of things to do in Guangzhou for archaeological lovers and Chinese history and culture enthusiasts.

The museum was firstly opened to the public in 1983 and renovated in 2010. Inside the museum, you can find the original site of the tomb, more than 1,000 pieces of rare treasures unearthed from the tomb and a collection of ceramic pillows donated by Mr. Yeung Wing-Tak. Those elegant artefacts will take you to the exquisite life of Nanyue State 2,000 years ago.

Nanyue King Museum 南越王博物馆
广州市越秀区中山四路316号
Tel : +86 (020) 36182920（王墓展区）, +86 (020) 83896501（王宫展区）

Opening Hours: open all year around from 9:00am to 17:30pm (on 28th February and 31st August of every year, it will be closed for maintenance), except every Monday.

Visited Jan 2022