How many chinese treaty ports were there and who owned each one?

by jhostin7811
EnclavedMicrostate

So it's worth distinguishing between two broad kinds of foreign holdings in China.

Firstly, treaty ports. The term refers to a series of cities, primarily coastal and riverine, but some inland, which were made open to all international trade by dint of one or more treaties. These cities typically had designated merchant quarters for countries that wished to claim them, which were under the consular jurisdiction of assigned diplomatic officials (which means that those officials were the chief arbitrators in legal cases), but which officially remained Qing (or RoC) territory.

Secondly, there were a series of foreign concessions, settlements which were actually part of foreign territory. Most of these were leaseholds, with the exception of Macau and Hong Kong Island+Kowloon, which were owned in perpetuity by Portugal and Britain, respectively. Being leases, these territories were nominally to revert control to the ruling government of China on the expiry of the lease, but remained the territory of the lease-holders for the duration. I say 'nominally' as in the event, only one such lease expired normally.

Separately, there were some broad regions that were permanently annexed, particularly by Russia on its Siberian and Central Asian frontiers with the Qing Empire, though these are very much beyond the scope of this discussion. There were also certain foreign investment sites, extra port facilities, voluntarily-designated 'open cities', opium receiving stations and so on. The full list of nearly 200 such sites, and some descriptions of all of them, can be found in Robert Neild's China's Foreign Places : The Foreign Presence in China in the Treaty Port Era, 1840-1943 (2015), which was my main source for this post.

Probably the easiest way to present the information is through some tables, so first up we'll have the treaty ports, then the territorial concessions.

Treaty Ports

(Note: I've used 'Riverine' for any sites where a river directly connected to the sea via Qing/Chinese territory exclusively. Sites for trade with Southeast Asia or Russia, even if located on navigable rivers, have been designated as 'Inland'.)

Name (Pinyin if applicable, then variants) Province Year Opened Treaty (and foreign signatories) Type
Nerchinsk (Nibcu) Russian Siberia 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk (Russia) Inland
Kiakhta (Khiagt) Russian Siberia 1727 Treaty of Kiakhta (Russia) Inland
Guangzhou (Canton) Guangdong 1757 (made sole maritime entrepôt, but in use earlier) / 1842 (terms modified) N/A / Treaty of Nanking (Britain) Coastal
Xiamen (Amoy) Fujian 1842 Treaty of Nanking Coastal
Fuzhou (Foochow) Fujian 1842 Treaty of Nanking Coastal
Ningbo (Ningpo) Zhejiang 1842 Treaty of Nanking Coastal
Shanghai Jiangsu 1842 Treaty of Nanking Coastal
Ili Xinjiang 1851 Treaty of Kulja (Russia) Inland
Haikou (Kiungchow) Guangdong 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking (Britain, France, Russia, USA) Coastal
Shantou (Swatow) Guangdong 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Coastal
Danshui (Tamsui) Fujian (Taiwan after 1885) 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Coastal
Tainan (Taiwan-fu) Fujian (Taiwan after 1885) 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Coastal
Penglai (Tängchow) Shandong 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Coastal
Yantai (Chefoo) Shandong 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Coastal
Zhenjiang (Chinkiang) Jiangsu 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Riverine
Nanjing (Nanking)* Jiangsu 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Riverine
Hankou (Hankow) Hubei 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Riverine
Yingkou (Newchwang) Mukden/Fengtian 1858/60 Treaty of Tientsin/Convention of Peking Coastal
Zhangjiakou (Kalgan) Zhili 1860 Convention of Peking Inland
Tianjin (Tientsin) Zhili 1860 Convention of Peking Coastal
Kashgar Xinjiang 1860 Convention of Peking Inland
Urga (now Ulaanbaatar) Mongolia 1860 Convention of Peking Inland
Beihai (Pakhoi) Guangxi 1876 Chefoo Convention (Britain) Coastal
Wenzhou (Wenchow) Zhejiang 1876 Chefoo Convention Coastal
Wuhu Anhui 1876 Chefoo Convention Riverine
Yichang (Ichang) Hubei 1876 Chefoo Convention Riverine
Hami (Kumul) Xinjiang 1881 Treaty of St Petersburg (Russia) Inland
Kucheng (Qitai) Xinjiang 1881 Treaty of St Petersburg Inland
Urumqi (Urumchi) Xinjiang 1881 Treaty of St Petersburg Inland
Khovd (Kobdo) Mongolia 1881 Treaty of St Petersburg Inland
Uliassutai Mongolia 1881 Treaty of St Petersburg Inland
Jiuquan (formerly Suzhou) Gansu 1881 Treaty of St Petersburg Inland
Longzhou (Lungchow) Yunnan 1887 Supplementary Convention to 1886 commercial treaty w. France Inland
Manhao Yunnan 1887 Supplementary Convention to 1886 commercial treaty w. France Inland
Mengzi (Mengtse) Yunnan 1887 Supplementary Convention to 1886 commercial treaty w. France Inland
Chongqing (Chungking) Sichuan 1876/1890 Chefoo Convention (pending certain requirements which were not fulfilled until 1889) Riverine
Shashima (Yatung) Tibet 1893 Sikkim Convention (Britain) Inland
Manghuan (Manwyne) Yunnan 1894 1894 Burmah Convention (Britain) Inland
Hangzhou Zhejiang 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki (Japan) Coastal
Suzhou (Soochow) Jiangsu 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki Riverine
Shashi Hubei 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki Riverine
Simao (Szemao) Yunnan 1895 Additional Convention to 1886 commercial treaty w. France Inland
Hekou (Hokow) Yunnan 1896 Additional Convention to 1886 commercial treaty w. France Inland
Sanshui (Samshui) Guangdong 1897 1897 Burmah Convention (Britain) Riverine
Jianggen (Kongkun Market) Guangdong 1897 1897 Burmah Convention Riverine
Wuzhou Guangxi 1897 1897 Burmah Convention Riverine
Tengchong (Tengyueh) Yunnan 1897 1897 Burmah Convention Inland
Jiangmen (Kongmoon) Guangdong 1902 1902 Commercial Treaty (with Britain) Riverine
Changsha Hunan 1903 1903 Commercial Treaty (with Japan) Riverine
Gartok Tibet 1904 Convention of Lhasa (Britain) Inland
Gyantse Tibet 1904 Convention of Lhasa Inland
  • Nanjing was not actually under de facto Qing control at the time, as it was then the Tianjing (Heavenly Capital) of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Foreign Concessions

Name Country Date Ceded Lease Length (nominal) End Result
Macau/Macao Portugal 1557 (original lease) / 26 March 1887 (ceded in perpetuity) Permanent Handover to People's Republic of China in 1999
Hong Kong Britain 29 August 1842 (HK Island) / 2 November 1860 (Kowloon) / 9 June 1898 (New Territories) Permanent (Island and Kowloon) / 99 years to 1997 (New Territories) Lease on New Territories expired; Handover of all of HK to PRC in 1997
Qingdao (Tsingtao) Germany 8 March 1898 99 years to 1997 Taken over by Japan in 1914; Handed over to Republic of China in 1922
Lüshun (Port Arthur) Russia 27 March 1898 25 years to 1923 Taken over by Japan in 1905
Dalian (Dalny) Russia 27 March 1898 25 years to 1923 Taken over by Japan in 1905
Weihaiwei (Weihai) Britain 3 April 1898 Until end of Russian lease on Port Arthur British retained control after 1905; Handed over to ROC rule in 1930
Kouang-Tcheou-Wan (Guangzhouwan) France 10 April 1898 99 years to 1997 Occupied by Japan in 1943; Ceded to ROC in 1945
Lüshun (Ryojun) Japan 5 September 1898 (from Russia) / 25 May 1915 (lease extension) Remainder of 25 years to 1923 (original) / Further extension of 99 years to 2022 (1915) Annexed by ROC in 1945
Dalian (Dairen) Japan 5 September 1898 (from Russia) / 25 May 1915 (lease extension) Remainder of 25 years to 1923 (original) / Further extension of 99 years to 2022 (1915) Annexed by ROC in 1945
Qingdao (Tsingtao) Japan 7 November 1914 (de facto) Unspecified Handed over to ROC in 1922

Hope that was of use!