Page 136 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Development of the Thirteen Factories

of the buildings and the Thirteen Factories quarter within and storage; however, fondacos in European contexts
the context of globalization while also examining their increasingly prioritized the security of goods over the
local characteristics in the trading environment of Qing safety of individuals, reinforcing their role as storehouses
China. (Figure 1B) (Constable, 2003). Funduqs and fondacos
shared core functions, such as accommodating travelers
2. Trading posts and factories in global and providing storage for goods, as part of the lineage of
trade commercial facilities in the Mediterranean world. Over
time, fondacos evolved to serve not only as trade hubs
The word “factory” originates from the Arabic word but also as small communities for foreign traders. The
funduq and the Latin term fondaco, both of which referred Portuguese adopted the fondaco model in their overseas
to commercial facilities in the Mediterranean world during trade operations due to its well-established provisions
the medieval period (Sicking, 2020). A funduq was an for residence, storage, security, and management. In
urban facility designed to meet the lodging, commercial, Portuguese, a fondaco was known as a feitoria, a term that
and financial needs of merchants, pilgrims, and rulers. influenced the Dutch factorij and the English factory.
These establishments were widespread, from Syria to Spain
(Figure 1A), and provided vital support for trade and travel The Portuguese initially established feitorias in Bruges
(Constable, 2003). Fondaco was a term used by Christian and Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium, to facilitate trade with
merchants engaging in trade within Muslim markets. Europe’s most important port areas. Following the mid-
th
Modeled after the funduq, fondacos provided lodgings 15 century, as the Portuguese opened new maritime routes
and storage for European traders arriving at Islamic ports. to the East, feitorias were established along these routes
These facilities ensured the safety of merchants within local in various locations, including Arguin Island on the west
communities and allowed them a degree of autonomy, African coast, the Cape of Good Hope, the Kenyan coast,
operating under the supervision of Muslim authorities Ormuz in Iran, Calicut, Cochin, and Goa in India, Ceylon,
(Constable, 2003). Over time, fondacos evolved into as well as Malacca and Ternate in Southeast Asia (Sicking,
trading posts where merchants from one country could 2020). In the Portuguese expansion of overseas trade, a
establish a presence in another. They served as spaces for factory functioned as a marketplace, warehouse, customs
cultural exchange and interaction between diverse groups. house, defense base, and logistical support for voyages and
expeditions; it could also serve as an effective branch of
By the late Middle Ages, fondacos spread to Portuguese governance abroad. With the rise of Dutch and
Mediterranean Europe alongside expanding European British maritime power in the 17 century, the East India
th
trade and diplomatic activities. They appeared in regions Companies of various countries adopted the Portuguese
such as southern France, northern Italy, and the Dalmatian model, establishing factories along key navigation routes.
coast, functioning as centers for habitation, commerce, Factory buildings subsequently appeared in numerous port

A B

Figure 1. Funduq and fondaco. (A) Plan and section of a funduq in Granada, Spain. Source: Torres Balbás, Leopoldo (1946). Las alhóndigas
hispanomusulmanas y el Corral del Carbón de Granada. “Al-Andalus”, v. XI; pp. 464. (B) View of the interior of a fondaco in Venice, Italy. Source:
Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3676