Canton System
The name "hong" () originally referred to the row of factories built outside of the city walls of Guangzhou 广州 (Canton), near the Pearl River. The Thirteen Factories were used during the Canton System period to host foreign traders and the products purchased, under the aegis of the "cohong". The Hong (or Factories) were usually owned by hong merchants such as Pan Zhencheng (Poankeequa 1).