What were the 13 factories in Guangzhou?

The "13 factories" (known in Chinese as shisan hang or shisan yiguan) were a collection of warehouses, business offices, and residences located on the waterfront of Guangzhou during the 18th and 19th centuries.12

Under the Canton system, which restricted all foreign trade in China to the port of Guangzhou, these facilities served as the designated area where foreign merchants were permitted to live and conduct business. While in the city, foreign traders were confined to this small riverbank area outside the city wall and were subject to strict regulations imposed by the Chinese government.1

The factories were not merely warehouses; they functioned as the primary hubs for international commerce, where foreign nationals—including the British, French, Dutch, and Americans—interacted with the cohong, a guild of officially authorized Chinese merchants who held a monopoly on trade with the West. This system remained in place until the conclusion of the first Opium War, which forced the opening of additional treaty ports and the abolition of the restrictive Canton system.12