Primary Source Document
with Questions (DBQs)
E X C E R P T S F R O M T H E T R E A T Y O F N A N J I N G , A U G U S T 1 8 4 2
Introduction
Following China’s defeat by the British in the Opium War of 1839-1842, the following conditions were imposed on
the Chinese government by the British in a treaty signed in the city of Nanjing (Nanking).
Document Excerpts with Questions
From Changing China: Readings in the History of China from the Opium War to the Present, by J. Mason Gentzler (New York: Praeger
Publishers, 1977). © 1977 Praeger Publishers. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Excerpts
from
The
Treaty
of
Nanjing,
August
1842



Article
I


There
shall
henceforth
be
Peace
and
Friendship
between
…
(England
and
China)
and
between

their
 respective
 Subjects,
 who
 shall
 enjoy
 full
 security
 and
 protection
 for
 their
 persons
 and

property
within
the
Dominions
of
the
other.




Article
II


His
 Majesty
 the
 Emperor
 of
 China
 agrees
 that
 British
 Subjects,
 with
 their
 families
 and

establishments,
 shall
 be
 allowed
 to
 reside,
 for
 the
 purpose
 of
 carrying
 on
 their
 commercial

pursuits,
without
molestation
or
restraint
at
the
Cities
and
Towns
of
Canton,
Amoy,
Foochow‑
fu,
 Ningpo,
 and
 Shanghai,
 and
 Her
 Majesty
 the
 Queen
 of
 Great
 Britain,
 etc.,
 will
 appoint

Superintendents
or
Consular
Officers,
to
reside
at
each
of
the
above‑named
Cities
or
Towns,
to

be
the
medium
of
communication
between
the
Chinese
Authorities
and
the
said
Merchants,
and

to
see
that
the
just
Duties
and
other
Dues
of
the
Chinese
Government
as
hereafter
provided
for,

are
duly
discharged
by
Her
Britannic
Majesty’s
Subjects.




Article
III


It
being
obviously
necessary
and
desirable,
that
British
Subjects
should
have
some
Port
whereat

they
 may
 careen
 and
 refit
 their
 Ships,
 when
 required,
 and
 keep
 Stores
 for
 that
purpose,
 His

Majesty
the
Emperor
of
China
cedes
to
Her
Majesty
the
Queen
of
Great
Britain,
etc.,
the
Island

of
 Hong‑Kong,
 to
 be
 possessed
 in
 perpetuity
 by
 her
 Britannic
 Majesty,
 Her
 Heirs
 and

Successors,
and
to
be
governed
by
such
 Laws
 and
 Regulations
as
 Her
 Majesty
the
 Queen
of

Great
Britain,
etc.,
shall
see
fit
to
direct.


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EXCERPTS FROM THE TREATY OF NANJING, AUGUST 1842
Asia for Educators l Columbia University l http:afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 2 of 3


Article
V


The
Government
of
China
having
compelled
the
British
Merchants
trading
at
Canton1
to
deal

exclusively
with
certain
Chinese
Merchants
called
Hong
merchants
(or
Cohong)
who
had
been

licensed
by
the
Chinese
Government
for
that
purpose,
the
Emperor
of
China
agrees
to
abolish

that
practice
in
future
at
all
Ports
where
British
Merchants
may
reside,
and
to
permit
them
to

carry
 on
 their
 mercantile
 transactions
 with
 whatever
 persons
 they
 please,
 and
 His
 Imperial

Majesty
further
agrees
to
pay
to
the
British
Government
the
sum
of
Three
Millions
of
Dollars,

on
account
of
Debts
due
to
British
Subjects
by
some
of
the
said
Hong
Merchants
(or
Cohong)

who
 have
 become
 insolvent,
 and
 who
 owe
 very
 large
 sums
 of
 money
 to
 Subjects
 of
 Her

Britannic
Majesty.




Article
VII


It
 is
 agreed
 that
 the
 Total
 amount
 of
 Twenty‑one
 Millions
 of
 Dollars,
 described
 in
 the
 three

preceding
Articles,
shall
be
paid
as
follows:

Six
Millions
immediately.


Six
Millions
in
1843
…

Five
Millions
in
1844
…

Four
Millions
in
1845
…



Article
IX


The
Emperor
of
China
agrees
to
publish
and
promulgate,
under
his
Imperial
Sign
Manual
and

Seal,
a
full
and
entire
amnesty
and
act
of
indemnity,
to
all
Subjects
of
China
on
account
of
their

having
 resided
 under,
 or
 having
 had
 dealings
 and
 intercourse
 with,
 or
 having
 entered
 the

Service
of
Her
Britannic
Majesty,
or
of
Her
Majesty’s
Officers,
and
His
Imperial
Majesty
further

engages
to
release
all
Chinese
Subjects
who
may
be
at
this
moment
in
confinement
for
similar

reasons.




Article
X


His
Majesty
the
Emperor
of
China
agrees
to
establish
all
the
Ports
which
are
by
the
2nd
Article

of
this
Treaty
to
be
thrown
open
for
the
resort
of
British
Merchants,
a
fair
and
regular
Tariff
of

Export
 and
 Import
 Customs
 and
 other
 Dues,
 which
 Tariff
 shall
 be
 publicly
 notified
 and

promulgated
 for
 general
 information,
 and
 the
 Emperor
 further
 engages,
 that
 when
 British

Merchandise
 shall
 have
 once
 paid
 at
 any
 of
 the
 said
 Ports
 the
 regulated
 Customs
 and
 Dues

1
Guangzhou

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EXCERPTS FROM THE TREATY OF NANJING, AUGUST 1842
Asia for Educators l Columbia University l http:afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 3 of 3
agreeable
to
the
Tariff,
to
be
hereafter
fixed,
such
Merchandise
may
be
conveyed
by
Chinese

Merchants,
 to
 any
 Province
 or
 City
 in
 the
 interior
 of
 the
 Empire
 of
 China
 on
 paying
 further

amount
as
Transit
Duties
which
shall
not
exceed
___
percent2
on
the
tariff
value
of
such
goods.




Questions:
1. How would the conditions laid forth in this treaty affect the fiscal health of
the Qing empire?
2. In China, (and in many Western texts), the Treaty of Nanjing is called the first
of the “unequal treaties.” Is the term “unequal treaty” justified by the
content and wording of the treaty? Please explain.
3. On the British side, whose interests are best served by this treaty? In other
words, who or what kind of people stand to gain?
4. Are there Chinese who might gain something from some of the terms of this
treaty? Explain.
2
Tariff
schedules
were
not
settled
at
this
time.
The
tariff
rates
on
various
goods
were
fixed
after
further

discussions;
they
averaged
about
five
percent.