The Hongs, Canton

A typical work depicting the bustling of Foreign Factories and the Pearl River. Thundercloud towers over in the sky and the damp air of the subtropical land seems to cover the surface of the painting. Since the church seen on the right was built in 1847 and was destroyed by fire in December of 1856, the work was probably made between 1847-56. The elaborately designed wooden frame, which reflects the Chinoiserie of the Westerners, is also from the time when the painting was made.