The Hong Kong 'China' Overprints British Offices In China 1917 - 1930

Beginning in the latter half of the 18th century, several western countries, particularly Great Britain, were illegally selling large quantities of opium in China. Despite the Chinese Jiaqing Emperor outlawing opium four separate times between 1729 and 1831, by the 1830s, more than half of Britain’s exports to China were illegal opium

In 1839, the emperor attempted once again to put an end to the opium trade. High Commissioner Lin Tse-hsu ordered for all of the opium in the port city of Canton to be seized, including some that was held by foreign governments. Lin ordered that all of this, over 2 million pounds of opium, be thrown into the ocean and destroyed.

The First Opium War (1839-1842)

This destruction of opium immediately led to the first of two Opium Wars, which began with Britain’s declaration of war in August of 1839. It lasted until August of 1842, when Britain forced the Chinese to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, the first of the Unequal treaties. The treaty of Nanjing was signed on 29 August 1842 and stipulated that Hong Kong become a colony of Britain, China pay the British government a total of 21 million silver dollars as compensation, and that China open five “Treaty Ports” in Amoy (Xiamen), Canton (Guangzhou), Foochow (Fuzhou), Ningpo (Ningbo), and Shanghai to allow British merchants to trade freely

The Second Opium War (1857-1860)

In 1854, Britain requested that the Qing government amend the Treaty of Nanjing to further open up trade and legalize opium, which they refused. This refusal heightened tensions between Britain and China, eventually leading to the second opium war, which began in December 1857. This resulted in the Treaty of Tientsin or Treaty of Tianjin. This treaty was signed by the Russian Empire on 13 June 1858; by the United States of America on 18 June 1858; the United Kingdom on 26 June 1859; and the Second French Empire on 27 June 1859, and finally ratified by the Emperor of China at the Convention of Peking in 1860. This treaty effectively legalized the opium trade in China and opened up new trading ports; Chefoo (Yantai), Hankow (Hankou), and Hoihow (Haikou).

When the British and French attempted to send ambassadors to Peking under the terms of the Treaty of Tientsin, their landing was opposed by force. In response, an Allied Force was assembled in 1860 which fought its way to Peking, resulting in the Treaty of Peking, also ratified by the Emperor of China at the Convention. This treaty ceded the ports of Swatow (Shantou) and Tientsin (Tianjin).

These 10 Treaty Ports would remain in use by Britain until 30 November 1922, when they would revert back to Chinese control.

British Control of Wei Hai Wei

Meanwhile, the Japanese captured the port of Wei Hai Wei (Weihai) in 1895 during the Battle of Wei Hai Wei. They withdrew in 1898, leaving the port open for the United Kingdom to claim control on 24 May 1898. The British referred to Weihaiwei as Port Edward, and the lease included the island of Liu Kung Tau. A port on the opposite coast, Port Arthur, was being leased by Russia at the time for a period of 25 years, so when the British leased Wei Hai Wei, the terms of the treaty stipulated that they be allowed to remain for the same period of time as the Russians were to remain in Port Arthur. In 1905, Japan took ownership of Port Arthur and the British lease for Weihaiwei was modified to last as long as the Japanese held Port Arthur instead. This ended on 1 October 1930.

The Century of Humiliation

The period of time that China was controlled by western powers such as Great Britain, Japan, and Russia from 1839 to 1949 would come to be known as ‘The Century of Humiliation’. During this time, in part due to the Opium Wars and the Unequal Treaties, China suffered unstable power structures, huge financial losses, and fragmentation. Notably, the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, ending the dynastic period of China for good