Glossary of Terms

Amah A servant who looks after the women of a family (often from birth to the grave) and often the household as well.
Cheong-sam A tight fitting dress with a skirt that doesn't even cover the knees, traditionally worn as a wedding garment and the regular garb of many Chinese prostitutes.
Chop A seal used to authenticate and sign documents.
Comprador The senior Asian or Eurasian employee of a Hong who acts as an intermediary for all dealings between the Hong and mainland China. See the sidebar entitled 'Compradors'.
Dim sum Small Chinese delicacies, normally either deep-fried or steamed, which are served for breakfast.
Feng Shui Chinese geomancy. See the section entitled 'Feng Shui'.
Godown A warehouse.
Gong Fu The Chinese martial art known nowadays as Kung Fu.
Gwailo Literally 'ghost person', used by the Chinese when speaking about the 'foreign devils'. It is a derogatory term, but the slight is generally ignored.
H'eung Yau Literally 'fragrant grease'. The term used for a bribe in Hong Kong.
Hong One of the large trading companies of the colony.
Joss Fortune, either good or bad.
Junk A Chinese boat designed for coastal waters.
Lo P'an A Spirit Compass used by Feng Shui practitioners.
Lorcha An ocean-going vessel rigged in the Europan style but with a Chinese keel.
Mah-jong A game played with tiles.
Middle Kingdom A term used by the Chinese to mean China. Originally related to the position in which the country appeared on maps made by Chinese cartographers, it has also been interpreted as the kingdom that falls between the heavens and earth.
Sampan A small boat used for traversing rivers and other shallow waters.
Tael A measure of gold, just short of six ounces in weight.
Tai-pan A Cantonese word meaning 'Supreme Leader', a tai-pan is the head of one of the large trading companies or Hongs. The Tai-pan is the head of the largest and most powerful Hong, Jardine-Matheson. See the section entitled 'The Tai-pan'.
Taoism One of the three major religions of China: the other two are Buddhism and Confucianism. Taoism is described more fully elsewhere in this document.
Tong Originally one of the secret revolutionary societies in China dedicated to the overthrow of the Manchu Emperor, but now a criminal organisation. See the section on 'Tongs and Triads'.
Triad The Western name for a Tong.