A foreign trading company or factory in 18th-19th century China, particularly in Guangzhou (Canton), where Western merchants conducted business.
From Cantonese 'a-hong' (行), where 'a' is an article and 'hong' means 'business house' or 'shop.' The term became standard English in accounts of Chinese-Western trade.
The ahong system was basically the original international trade monopoly—China restricted all foreign commerce through just a handful of these government-approved merchant houses, giving them incredible power and making them the bridge between East and West.
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