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The article investigates the historiography and social functioning of "floating brothels" in the Pearl River Delta between 1750 and 1930, contrasting two key contexts: the vessels of Whampoa, known to foreigners as "lob lob boats," and the "flower boats" (or barcos floridos) of Canton. The main thesis argues that, although frequently described in Western sources as places of "debauchery," these institutions were instead mechanisms integrated into the port economy and into relations among merchants, sailors, and local authorities. Methodologically, the author undertakes a critical reinterpretation of historical sources and contemporary representations, articulating differences in clientele, regulation, and operating practices. It is argued that in Whampoa, the floating brothels served both foreigners and Asians, functioning as part of the "riverine landscape" and, at the same time, as indirect instruments for managing the foreign presence, with mediation and oversight by the mandarins. In Canton, by contrast, the "flower boats" supposedly served mostly Chinese men, maintaining an exclusivity that depended on their functional connection to a broader ecosystem of floating services. It is concluded that these boats should be understood as sociopolitical and economic institutions, and not merely as spaces of depravity.
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This article revisits the cartography and historical documentation of commerce in the "Foreign Quarter" of Canton between 1760 and 1843, challenging the historiographical belief that three continuous commercial streets—New China Street, (Old) China Street, and Hog Lane—existed throughout much of the late modern period. The central thesis contends that, during this interval, only two streets structured retail and supply in the sector controlled by foreigners: the thoroughfare later associated with China Street (originating in 1760) and Hog Lane (recognized by sources at least since the 1740s). Methodologically, the author undertakes a critical comparative reading of maps, travel accounts, European archival records, and iconographic evidence (plans and views of the factories), confronting the names, locations, and chronologies attributed in secondary works with primary sources. The results indicate that "New China Street" did not constitute a third functional artery prior to 1822; it appears after the fire that destroyed the factories, when access was redefined and a new street was established in the context of reconstruction. Thus, the review clarifies the policy of segregation and surveillance of the Co-hong (公行) and contributes to a more precise reconstruction of the commercial geography of foreign Canton.
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This article analyzes the so-called "Hume Scroll" (1772), a rare visual record of the landscape of the port and the factories of Canton, in order to reinterpret the relationships between licensed foreign trade and the activity of Chinese junks bound for Southeast Asia. The central argument posits that the “foreign factories” did not function as separate and isolated spaces within the Chinese maritime economy, but rather as shared residential-commercial and operational hubs, administered by different institutional branches (Waiyang Hang and Bengang Hang) which, in practice, interacted more than traditional historiographical narratives assumed. Methodologically, the study combines dating based on architectural and biographical evidence (aligning constructive elements with Hume’s chronology) with a systematic identification of the buildings and their possible occupants, comparing the iconography with recent discoveries and administrative documentation. The author also critiques "top-down" approaches that derive historical models primarily from gazetteers, edicts, and memorials, without verifying the actual implementation of policies. As main results, the article demonstrates that the scroll enables the visualization of connections between firms of different administrations and highlights the coexistence of foreign and Chinese operations within the same port infrastructure. It concludes that understanding the transformations of the wharf and quotidian interactions is decisive for reconstructing how trade actually operated in Canton.
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The artisans who were active in Canton from 1700 to 1842 are some of the most elusive figures of the China trade. Despite the enormous quantity of artefacts that they produced, and which are now housed in private collections and museums throughout the world, the authors left very little information behind about themselves. It was not until the Americans entered the China trade in 1784, that we begin to have more extensive information about some of these artists and craftsmen.
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- Journal Article (4)