Let me take you back to the turbulent last years of the Qing Dynasty. It was a time when the whole country was being bullied by the outer powers and the whole country was seeking new breakthroughs and reforms. War, humiliation, reform, awakening – these are all entangled to form that gripping historical memory.
Origins of Unequal Treaties
Back in 1839, China lost the famous Opium War to Britain from the Far East. The pain and humiliation caused by this war opened the prelude to the confrontation between China and the West. After the war, China was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, a controversial "unequal treaty" that pushed China into a new stage in its history.
The number of unequal treaties
During the Qing Dynasty, China signed a total of 13 treaties that were considered "unequal"
1. Treaty of Nanking (1842): signed by Great Britain. Main contents: Cutting Hong Kong Island;
2. Treaty of Mong-Ha (1844): Signed by the United States. Main content: American ships have the right to trade at five ports;
3. Treaty of Whampoa (1844): signed by France. French ships trade in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Fuzhou provinces;
4. Treaty of Toranomon (1844): Signed by the United States. ceded 22.4 square kilometres of land near the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong;
5. The Treaty of Peking (1860): signed by the British and French forces. ceded the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong, set up a minister, and sold opium;
6. Treaty of the North Seas (1871): signed by Japan. Main content: Japanese occupation of the Ryukyus;
7. Treaty of Atagawa (1871): signed by Japan. Japan's invasion and occupation of Taiwan;
8. Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895): Signatory - Japan. cede the whole island of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands;
9. The Treaty of Xincho (1901): signatory - capitalist countries. Main contents: compensation of 450 million taels;
10. The Treaty of Beijing (1902): signatory - capitalist countries. Main contents: indemnity;
11. Treaty of Altyn (1910): signed by Russia. Main content: purchase of land;
12. Treaty of Bradyostrov (1915): signatory - Russia. Main content: purchase of land;
13. Treaty of Nebuchu (1922): signed by Russia. Main content: Purchase of land.
In addition to the unequal treaties made during the Qing Dynasty, there are a number of other unequal treaties in China's recent history (if there are omissions, they are welcome to be added)
1. The Twenty-One Articles between the Republic of China and Japan (1915): A humiliating demand imposed by Japan on the Republic of China, which had far-reaching political, economic, and social repercussions for China.
2. Sino-Japanese Treaty of Merger of Korea (1910): Japan forced Korea to sign a formal annexation of Korea and became a Japanese colony.
3. The Treaty of Beijing (1901): Forced by the Western powers to the Qing government after China's defeat, it included huge indemnities, territorial cedesion, and the right to garrison troops.
4. Treaty of Tientsin (1858): Signed by the Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War, which included the opening of ports, the signing of commercial treaties, and the garrison of troops.
5. The Treaty of Nebuchu (1922): Signed by the Nationalist Government forced by the Western powers after China committed itself to resisting foreign aggression, including the opening of ports and commercial treaties.
The impact of unequal treaties on China
Unequal treaties have taken a deep toll on China, such as the Treaty of Humen, an unequal treaty that the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign with Britain in 1842 called the Sino-British Treaty of Peace and Baojiang, commonly known as the Treaty of Humen, which marked the end of the First Opium War. Under the treaty, the Qing dynasty was forced to open five ports (Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai) as ports for foreign trade and cede Hong Kong Island to the British.
Another example is the Treaty of Xincho, which was also an unequal treaty that the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign with the allied forces. This treaty is not just about issues between China and a country. The treaty marked the end of the Qing Dynasty's Second Opium War. According to the treaty, the Qing Dynasty agreed to open all of "Tianjin", "Xinxia" (foreign trade ports), and build a Beijing-Tianjin railway. The Treaty of Xincho also gave Catholics the right to preach in China and recognized the legal status of Christianity in China.
Politically, it led to a serious weakening of national sovereignty and land cession, the breaking of China's feudal ruling system, and a rapid transformation into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Economically, the unequal treaties opened up China's market, making it a supplier of raw materials and a place of sale for the great powers, destroying the natural economy and accelerating the colonization of the economy. At the same time, reparations and land cession increased the financial burden on China's feudal rule, leading to financial collapse. Socially, the forced exploitation of the frontier areas by the foreign powers destroyed the living space of the local people and stimulated their spirit of resistance and patriotism. The import of Western culture has had an impact on traditional Chinese culture, and has also promoted the process of China's social modernization and reform. The painful history and experience have awakened the Chinese people, China has begun to renew itself, a series of reform movements have emerged, and the exploration of modernization and democracy has begun, laying the foundation for today's rise.
Perhaps it is precisely because a nation has experienced so many hardships and humiliations that it will cherish and deeply feel its spirit of independence and self-improvement. We must not forget those humiliating histories, because they made us who we are today. Perhaps this is the old saying "history is the best textbook". Therefore, when we face history, whether it is a glorious chapter or a heavy memory, only by engraved it in our hearts and used to guide our future, this history will not flow in vain.