From the First Opium War in 1840 to the Eight-Power Allied Forces' invasion of China in 1900, this 60-year history was a difficult moment for our country to fight against foreign aggression.
During this period, the unequal treaties signed between our country and foreign countries not only became historical evidence of the imperialist invasion of China, but also allowed future generations to witness the fact that "if you fall behind, you will be beaten"!
Before 1949, China was forced to conclude many unequal treaties with foreign countries, The People's Republic of China successively abrogated them through diplomatic negotiations.
According to the timeline, the unequal treaties signed by before 1949 are divided into three stages:
Let us describe one by one the unequal treaties signed by our country with the aggressive imperialists!
Unequal treaties often include:
, war compensation
, ceded territory, concessions
, unilateral extraterritoriality (including consular jurisdiction )
, trade, opening of treaty ports
, and provision of one-sided most-favored-nation treatment .
7, agreed tariffs
8, delineation of spheres of influence
The first stage (1840-1860)
In this stage, it was the beginning of China's social system from an autocratic monarchy to a semi-colonial society, and it was also the beginning of the establishment of colonies in China by the great powers. .
" Treaty of Nanjing "
The "Treaty of Nanjing" signed on August 29, 1842 was the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history.
It was signed by the Qing court representatives Qiying , Yilibu , Niu Jian and the British representative Pu Dingcha on the British ship Gao Huali moored on the Nanjing Xiaguan River. It was signed between China and The settlement treaty signed by Britain on the Opium War .
The "Treaty of Nanjing" was the end of the first Opium War, but it was also a beginning.
The Treaty of Nanjing, together with the Treaty of Wangxia and the Treaty of Huangpu , constitute the most important cornerstone of China's unequal treaty system.
The signing of these three treaties provided favorable conditions for the United States, Britain, and France, the most powerful countries in the world at that time, to continue their aggression. It also provided a system and continuation for the signing of unequal conditions in the future.
The power that Britain, the United States, and France gained through aggression:
. Obtain commercial rights for free foreign trade and comprehensive most-favored-nation treatment.
． The right to obtain agreed tariffs.
. Obtain the right to preach in China and rent land and build houses.
. Obtain consular jurisdiction.
. Obtain the right to occupy part of China's territory.
Judging from the signing of the treaty, it was an equal agreement negotiated and jointly announced by both parties. However, the signing of the treaty between China and the aggressor country was preceded by a war. The long-declined Qing Empire was in the foreign economy and national defense. The Chinese government is not a rival to modern imperialist countries. After a war, the Chinese government rarely takes any "advantages" from the war; and these countries are countries that started aggression early, and their leadership in navigation and weapons technology has allowed their countries to achieve The initiative of war forced the Chinese government to use negotiation as a means to avoid greater losses.
Agents of the Chinese government often only have the choice of "accept" or "not accept" during negotiations. As representatives sent by an autocratic emperor, these agents can only sign these treaties for the benefit of the royal family.
Following the signing of the first unequal treaty, how could the great powers who had tasted the sweetness be willing to give up a huge cake like this? After 14 years, when the great powers thought that the "cake" had begun to be sweet again, they began to the aftermath of the First Opium War. He took the initiative to provoke a war and started the second Opium War.
In the Second Opium War , a four-year war, new treaties were provided for the great powers at that time:
. The Sino-British, Sino-French, Sino-American, Sino-Russian "Treaty of Tianjin", Sino-Russian "Treaty of Aihun" (1858)
. The Treaty of Beijing (1860) between China, Britain, China, France, and ChinaChina, which had become a semi-colonial country, was forced to deepen the degree of colonization. European and American countries also gained enough benefits for themselves:
continued to expand territorial claims and increase Foreign trade window, inland shipping rights, legal rights to opium trade, the right to free movement in the mainland,
labor rights to go abroad.
Most of the inequality in the first stage revolves around trade, because after the Industrial Revolution , the productivity of European and American countries has greatly improved, and the number of goods that can be traded has increased. Just the profits from trading in the country are not enough. capitalism has the appetite for , and opening up overseas markets has become the best choice.
The second stage (1860-1919)
If you fall behind, you will be beaten.
At that time, the gap between China and the European and American powers was too big. Only by reforming and learning foreign technology to improve the strength of our country could we compete with it.
After the signing of the "Beijing Treaty", the Qing government carried out a Westernization Movement reform. However, the good times did not last long. Although the Qing government made progress, Western capitalist countries entered the imperialist stage one after another.
In 1876, the Yantai Treaty was signed due to the Magali case. In 1883, France provoked a war to invade Vietnam .
In this Sino-French war, China was defeated in the Mawei Sea Battle but achieved a decisive victory on land; but the Qing government took the initiative to seek peace after this victory!
The " Sino-French New Testament ", which was a loss of power and humiliation to the country, was signed in 1885 by Li Hongzhang and the French Minister Badeneau.
The Westernization Movement indeed made China progress at that time, but it also exposed bigger problems: The shortcomings of the traditional feudal system, the lack of a complete plan, the lack of knowledge of those in charge, the opposition of conservative people, the corruption of bureaucratic style, etc. .
During the Westernization Movement, the Westernizationists although they advertised themselves as " the New Deal for Self-Strength", because they were defenders of traditional feudal ideas, they had no intention of learning the capitalist political and economic system. They only advocated learning Western technology and strongly opposed it. Any form of reform of feudal thought and feudal system.
Afterwards, there was a " Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1898", and the Beiyang Navy was completely annihilated, marking the complete loss of the Qing Dynasty's naval strength, and also marking the bankruptcy of the 35-year Westernization Movement.
The Westernization Movement promoted China's development to a certain extent, but ultimately failed to put China on the road to prosperity.
Since then, the great powers have divided their spheres of influence in China and seized leased areas. The conflicts between the Chinese nation and foreign countries have become increasingly intensified. In this nature, the " Boxers " broke out and boycotted all outsiders and things.
In the name of protecting overseas Chinese, the eight powers Britain, France, the United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Austria united to form a coalition and marched towards Beijing after landing in Tianjin.
The Qing government used the idea that "the Boxers were available" and allowed the Boxers and Qing soldiers to besiege foreign embassies in Beijing and declare war on the eleven countries. However, after the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, he left in a hurry.
In 1901, Li Hongzhang signed the " Xinchou Treaty" with 11 countries on behalf of the Qing government. Li Hongzhang died of illness soon after.
The third stage (1919-1949)
The oppression from the great powers and the domestic democratic consciousness and the concept of saving the nation are increasing day by day.
The May Fourth Movement that broke out in 1919 showed the determination of the Chinese nation to be unwilling to be slaughtered by others. It showed strength in the Treaty of Versailles and refused to sign it.
Shortly thereafter, with the realization of the alliance with Russia and the Communist Party, the Chinese Kuomintang led the Northern Expedition. Since the establishment of the National Government in Nanjing, the Republic of China, in 1927, there has been a continuous movement to reclaim power and "revise the New Covenant" in mainland China, which has greatly satisfied China's national pride. ( Alliance with Russia and the Communist Party of China: Although the alliance with Russia and the Communist Party of China were two things accomplished by Sun Yat-sen in the 1920s, they closely linked the Chinese Communist Party, the Kuomintang, the Soviet Union, and the Communist International before the Great Revolution, forming a complex The relationship network .)
. Its main behaviors and activities are mostly around the recovery of signed treaties:
1. Recovery of concessions: In January 1927, the National Government ordered the recovery of the British Concession in Hankou and Jiujiang where the 1931 Massacre occurred; on October 1, 1930, the British-occupied Weihaiwei Concession was recovered; on January 15, 1931, Belgium was recovered Concession in China (Tianjin Concession).
2． Recovering tariff sovereignty: One of the results of the New Testament revision movement; the National Government implemented new tariffs in 1933, marking China's basic realization of tariff autonomy.
3． Abolition of consular jurisdiction and one-sided most-favored-nation treatment.
Although China is still unable to compare with the great powers at that time, it will no longer be passively beaten as before. It wanted to get rid of the semi-colonial status quo, but it was still powerless. The Qing government was afraid of the strong reactions or even the use of force by various countries after the abolition of unequal treaties.
Imperialism will not completely abandon a colony. Although it will not attack it with force, it will use a series of means such as economics and public opinion to oppress it; such as The Ho-Mei Agreement was Japan's first attempt to create the "North China Independence" incident. Then, the benefits of being undefended in North China were explained to the outside world through public opinion, and finally the National Government accepted the agreement.
Soon after, the Second World War broke out. Since China, Italy and Japan were warring parties, the unequal treaties in China were abolished. In order to maintain the stability of the anti-fascist alliance, the United States and Britain gave up their privileges in the allied country China. .
In September 1949, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held in Beipingpassed the Common Program. Article 55 of it publicly declared that "with regard to various treaties and agreements entered into by the Kuomintang, the Central Committee of the People's Republic of China The people's government should review it and recognize, abolish, revise, or rewrite it according to its content."
The following is a treaty that some Chinese governments or most Chinese people consider to be unequal:
1. The China-Russia-Mongolia Agreement (June 7, 4th year of the Republic of China (1915), China and Russia, signing location: Outer Mongolia, Qia Ketu )
2. Civil Fourth Treaty ( Twenty-one Articles ) (May 25, 1915, between China and Japan, signing place: Beijing)
3. Manzhouli Boundary Treaty ( On December 20, 1911 (the third year of Xuantong), China and Russia signed a contract in Manzhouli)
4. China and Britain renewed the Tibetan-Indian Treaty (On April 27, 1906 (the thirty-second year of Guangxu), China and Britain signed a contract Location: Beijing)
5. Sino-Japanese Conference on Matters in the Three Eastern Provinces (December 22, 1905 (the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), signing place: Beijing)
6. Treaty of Xinchou (1901 (the 27th year of the Emperor Guangxu) ) September 7, signing place: Beijing)
7. Guangzhou Bay Concession Treaty (or Guangzhou Bay Concession Treaty between China and France) (Time: November 16, 1899 (the 25th year of Guangxu); signing place: Guangzhou Bay; China and France) [Note: Guangzhou Bay is now Zhanjiang City, Guangdong]
8. Booking of Weihaiwei Special Article (Time: July 1, 1898 (the 24th year of Guangxu); Signing place: Beijing ; China and the United Kingdom) [Note: Weihaiwei enters Weihai City, Shandong]
9. Special Article for Expanding the Hong Kong Boundary Address (Time: June 9, 1898 (the 24th year of Guangxu); Signing location: Beijing; China and the United Kingdom)
10． Sino-Russian Tourism Land Lease Treaty (March 27, 1898 (the 24th year of Guangxu), signing place: Beijing. The "Renewal of Tourism Agreement" was signed in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 7, 1898 French soldiers who invaded Guangzhou Bay at that time.
11． Sino-German Jiao'ao Concession Treaty (March 6, 1898 (the 24th year of Guangxu), Beijing; China and Germany)
12. Sino-Japanese Trade and Shipping Treaty (Signed in Beijing on July 21, 1896 (the 22nd year of Guangxu))
13. Sino-Russian secret treaty (June 3, 1896 (the 22nd year of Guangxu), Moscow)
14. Treaty of Shimonoseki (April 17, 1895 (the 21st year of Guangxu), Shimonoseki, and Japan)
15. Tibetan and Indian Articles of the Sino-British Conference (March 17, 1890 (the 16th year of Guangxu), Calcutta, India; supplementary revision: December 5, 1893, Darjeeling)
16. Sino-Portuguese Peace and Trade Treaty (December 1, 1887 (the thirteenth year of Guangxu), with Portugal, Beijing)
17. Sino-British Yantai Treaty (Yantai in 1876 (the second year of Guangxu); China and Britain)
18. Sino-Japanese Special Treaty on Beijing (October 31, 1874 (the 13th year of Tongzhi))
19. Notes on the Sino-Russian Survey and Demarcation of the Northwest Boundary (Talbachatai, October 7, 1864 (the third year of Tongzhi))
20. Sino-German Trade Treaty (September 2, 1861 (the eleventh year of Xianfeng), Tianjin)
21. Treaty of Beijing
a) Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing (November 14, 1860 (Xianfeng decade), Beijing)
b) Sino-French Treaty of Beijing (October 25, 1860 (Xianfeng decade), Beijing)
c) The British Treaty of Beijing (October 24, 1860 (the tenth year of Xianfeng), Beijing)
22. Treaty of Tianjin
a) Sino-French Treaty of Tianjin (June 27, 1858 (the eighth year of Xianfeng), Tianjin)
b) Sino-British Treaty of Tianjin (June 26, 1858 (the eighth year of Xianfeng), Tianjin)
c) Sino-US Tianjin Treaty (June 18, 1858 (the eighth year of Xianfeng), Tianjin)
d) Sino-Russian Treaty of Tianjin (June 13, 1858 (the eighth year of Xianfeng), Tianjin)
23. Treaty of Aihun between China and Russia (May 28, 1858 (the eighth year of Xianfeng year), Heihe )
24. Shanghai British, French and American Concession Land Lease Regulations (July 5, 1854 (the fourth year of Xianfeng), Shanghai)
25. Sino-Russian Ili Tarbachatai Trade Regulations (August 6, 1851 (the first year of Xianfeng), Ili )
26. Treaty of Huangpu (October 24, 1844 (the 24th year of Daoguang), with France, Huangpu)
27. Treaty of Wangxia (July 3, 1844 (the 24th year of Daoguang), with the United States, Wangxia Village)
28. Humen Treaty (October 8, 1843 (the 23rd year of Daoguang), with Britain, Humen)
29. Treaty of Nanjing (August 29, 1842 (the 22nd year of Daoguang), with Britain, Nanjing)
