China: View of Canton (Guangzhou) from the sea, two Dutch ships in the foreground. Johannes Vingboons (1617-1670), c. 1662

During the 17th century European enterprises were refused entry into Canton. It was only in the 18th century that Europeans were permitted to establish themselves along the Pearl River.

Chinese middlemen sold tea, porcelain and silk to the Westerners, who lived in isolation in their warehouses or 'factiories' on the quay and rarely set foot in Canton itself.

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Pictures From History