hong

n. [ Chinese hang, Canton dialect hong, a mercantile house, factory. ] A mercantile establishment or factory for foreign trade in China, as formerly at Canton; a succession of offices connected by a common passage and used for business or storage. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hong merchant, one of the few Chinese merchants who, previous to the treaty of 1842, formed a guild which had the exclusive privilege of trading with foreigners. [ 1913 Webster ]