Page 138 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Development of the Thirteen Factories

A B

Figure 4. (A) Dutch factory in Ambon, Indonesia (1644); (B) Dutch factory in Nagasaki, Japan (1729). Source: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

trade and store imported and exported goods, the hang A B
merchants of Guangzhou constructed large-scale hangs
along the Pearl River. Osmond Tiffany described their
scale and activity:
The mighty storehouses, stretching as they do for
miles along the Canton River, filled during the busy
season with hundreds of thousands of chests of tea,
and employing armies of operatives, bear witness Figure 5. (A) Painting of hang buildings along the river in Guangzhou.
to the immensity and importance of the tea trade. Source: The British Library archive; (B) Painting of interior view of hang
(Tiffany, 1849, p. 108) buildings in Guangzhou. Source: The Trustees of the British Museum
In addition to tea and silk, the hangs in the southern
suburbs of Guangzhou stored a variety of goods from the water, topped with gates displaying the hang’s name.
around the world to serve the local market. These goods Certain hangs also had stilt houses flanking their gates,
include biche-de-mer from Sumatra and Sulu, grains of which may have been the residences of the guards of the
paradise from India, Sichuan, and Siam, fish maws from warehouse (Figure 5A). Hangs also functioned as hotels,
the Archipelago and Persian Seas, dried mussels from offering storage, accommodation, and trading facilities
Siam, pepper from Sumatra, Borneo, and Malacca, shark for traveling merchants. On arrival in Guangzhou,
fins from Bombay and the Persian Gulf, sinews of deer merchants would select a hang to store their goods. The
from the Malay Archipelago and Siam, salted prawns from hang owner would provide comfortable accommodations,
South China, and apricots seeds from North China, among entertainment, and trading channels, in exchange for
others (Gray, 1875). Hunter (1885) notes that during the service fees and a commission on goods sold (Gray, 1875).
Second Opium War (1856 – 1860), a hang merchant The 1 floor of a hang served as a warehouse, featuring
st
named Howqua lost several large warehouses along the a wide three-bay front and multiple courtyards extending
river at Shamian due to a fire, with damages amounting from front to back; these spaces were used for storing
to 750,000 – 800,000 US dollars, including cargo losses. goods and for processing, sorting, weighing, and packaging
On maps of Guangzhou drawn by Westerners, these hangs commodities prior to trade (Figure 5B). Sometimes, the
were labeled as “storehouses” or “pick houses.” They were 2 floor accommodated traveling traders. During his visit
nd
also featured in export paintings depicting scenes along to a tea hang, Osmond Tiffany observed:
the Pearl River in Guangzhou (Figure 5). “In one part of the building, a 2 floor is added, for
nd
immense suits of beautiful rooms, furnished with
The façade of a hang consisted of an alcove porch with
brick and stone footings on the 1 floor, and a veranda costly elegance, and adorned with rarities and articles
st
with partition doors and balustrades on the upper floor. of virtu…they are merely for show and the occasional
Each hang building featured a pier extending to the reception of guests.” (Tiffany, 1849, pp. 112 – 113)
river, enabling convenient transport via sampans. Some The architectural layout of Guangzhou hangs,
riverfront hangs were equipped with stilt platforms over integrating storage and living quarters, reflected the

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3676