Detail of East India Archipelago, Western Route to China, Chart No. 5, showing Macao, the Canton River, and Hong Kong. Whampoa Reach was as high as trading vessels were allowed to sail on the Canton River.
Chinese painting of the Hongs of Canton and a view of Canton Harbor, c. 1850. These painting were produced in quantities to sell to the western merchants. There are six Chinese junks and an American steamboat in the foreground. Flags of America, France, Britain and Denmark fly. A massive fire destroyed these buildings in 1856. Hongs served as residences, trading headquarters, and warehouses for western merchants in Canton. Westerners were restricted to the Hongs.
Map in book showing the preferred sailing routes to go to India and the Far East, taking advantage of prevailing and trade winds and ocean currents. The most direct way was not always the fastest.
From The Seaman's Guide to the Navigation of the Indian Ocean and China Sea by W.H. Rosser and J.F. Imray, 1867.
