Howqua

Howqua
Portrait by George Chinnery, 1830
Born	Wu Bingjian 1769 Fujian, China
Died	4 September 1843 (age 75) Canton, China
Known for	Founder of Cohong - Ewo (怡和)
Net worth	Over $8 billion

Howqua
Portrait by Lam Qua
Chinese	伍秉鑑
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wǔ Bǐngjiàn Wade–Giles Wu Ping-chien Yale Romanization Wǔ Bǐngjyàn IPA [ù pìŋtɕi̯ɛ̂n] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Ngh Bíng Gaam IPA [ŋ̬̍ pɪ̌ŋ kāːm] Jyutping Ng5 Bing2 Gaam3 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ngó͘ Péng-kàm
Business name
Chinese	浩官
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hào Guān Wade–Giles Hao Kuan Yale Romanization Hàu Gwān Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Houh Gyūn IPA [hòu kýːn] Jyutping Hou6 Gyun1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Hō-koaⁿ

Howqua (Chinese: 伍秉鑑; pinyin: Wǔ Bǐngjiàn; Jyutping: Ng5 Bing2 Gaam3; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ngó͘ Péng-kàm; 1769 – 4 September 1843) was the most important of the Hong merchants in the Thirteen Factories, head of the E-wo hong and leader of the Canton Cohong. He was once one of the richest men in the world.

Born in Quanzhou, Fujian, China, he was known to the West as Howqua (the second). His father, Wu Guorong was also Howqua (the first) and was founder of the family company. Because his Chinese name was too difficult for western traders to pronounce, the name Howqua comes from his Chinese Business Name "浩官" (pinyin: Haoguan; Jyutping: Hou6 Gun1), very similar to a DBA. He became rich on the trade between China and the British Empire in the middle of the 19th century during the First Opium War. Perhaps the wealthiest man in China during the nineteenth century, Howqua was the senior of the Hong merchants in Canton, one of the few authorized to trade silk and porcelain with foreigners. According to historic records, there was a fire in 1822 and many of the cohongs were burned down. The melted silver allegedly formed a little stream almost two miles in length. Of the 3 million dollars of compensation that was required to pay the British from the Treaty of Nanking, he single-handedly contributed one million, one third of the total sum. He later died in Canton the same year.