from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Hong \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]