On viewing this detailed picture, your attention is immediately drawn to a striking array of flags—Danish, Spanish, French, American, Swedish, British, and Dutch. Behind them, facing the river, stands a parade of buildings with European-inspired architecture, featuring classical elements such as pediments, colonnades, and pilasters. To the right, hills rise, and below them, a Chinese city with crenelated walls emerges.

In the river, a Chinese temple can be seen in the  fortified island, we also see that  most of the vessels are distinctly Chinese—from seagoing junks to covered sampans—except for two small sailing boats, one flying an American flag.

The scene clearly depicts a Western outpost in China. The diverse flags showing an international enclave where people from various nations are settled side by side in elegant yet densely packed structures.

These buildings are the 'hongs' or 'factories' of Canton, the vital trading link between China and the West. Situated in the suburbs of Canton, outside the city walls, these factories were occupied by foreign merchants.

While most export paintings of Canton focus solely on the hongs, this picture offers a broader perspective, showing  the hongs in relation to the surrounding city and mountains. Within the city walls, which are visible above the rooftops and along the distant hill's ridge, four of Canton’s historic landmarks stand out.

Closest to the factories is the grey minaret of the Huaisheng Mosque, known as the 'light tower' for its former role as a beacon for river vessels. To its right, on the edge of the painting, is the pagoda of the Six Banyan Temple. Further up the hill is the Guanyin Temple, surrounded by trees, and to its right is the five-story Zhenhai Tower, which overlooks the city from the north wall. Although the Guanyin Temple has since been replaced by the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the other landmarks remain today.

The river fort on the right, once known to Westerners as the Dutch Folly Fort, has since disappeared, but for centuries it was one of the city's defining features and frequently appeared in early depictions of Canton.

' John M'Leod, Narrative of a Voyage in His Majesty's late ship Alceste, to the Yellow Sea.., 1817, 146-7