# 14. “Fair Wind to Canton, the Port of Canton on the Pearl River, 1784”
	This port view of Canton in 1784 is teaming with a great variety of CHINESE watercraft from duck boats to flower boats but it is noticeably devoid of any European or American ships as the Celestial Empire prohibited them from navigating past Wampoa, south of Canton. Indeed, even the (left to right) Danes, French , Austria-Prussians, Swedes, British and Dutch whose Foreign Factories can be seen on the left of the painting, were only allowed to occupy theses residences during the trading season, bringing no wives or families with them. All 'Fan Kwae", or Foreign Devils, were forbidden to remain beyond this time. The Concessions or Factories were located just outside the Western wall of the city which foreigners were forbidden to enter.Two large and highly decorated war junks are anchored mid-stream in front of these Factories. The Houseboat on the far right was a common sight as they had numerous purposes such as floating palaces for mandarins, showboats, floating stores or shops and some known as “Flower Boats” euphemisms for the floating brothels they actually were. “Flower Boats” were strictly forbidden to Europeans, another indication that the Celestial Empire did not permit the “pollution” of their society by non-Chinese. The Red Fort , on the right side of the painting was located on the western end of Honan Island, In the mid distance to the left of the Red Fort, is the Green fort, later named the “Dutch Folly” by Europeans. Just in front of this Green Fort, is the Ship’s Boat from the Empress of China carrying some of her officers, including Major Samuel Shaw, and crew from the Wampoa anchorage down river from Canton. Arriving this way allowed foreigners to pass the Custom Houses without being stopped and taxed by petty officials. In front of the passenger junk, in the foreground, can be seen a “Fast Crab” or an oared galley. When underway the oars of this craft appeared like the legs of a crab and they were mainly used as water taxies by Mandarins for official business. It is Major Samuel Shaw’s journal that gave me insight into the complexities of doing business in China in 1784. He had to approach the Mandarins in the name of the United States as business could only take place through one of the Co-Hongs, a group of 13 merchants licensed by the Emperor to deal with the Barbarians, as all foreigners were deemed. Bribes and “commissions” were extravagant. Only a high mark up on these luxury goods from the East made it possible to conduct trade at all. Every foreign ship entering China had to have Hong merchants acting as their agent in both selling and buying cargoes. In turn, the Hong guaranteed that taxes and duties owed by the ship would be paid to the Custom House. The original 50 inch wide painting of “Fair Wind to Canton” is appropriately owned and displayed in a private home on Hong Kong today.
	Signed and Numbered Edition of 275 lithographs on archival paper Image Size: 23” x 29.5 “ ; unf...$1000.00