Under the Treaty of Nanjing, Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain.
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history
The Chinese textbook framing treats 南京条约 as the start of 中国近代史 (modern Chinese history) — the moment when Qing sovereignty was first broken by foreign powers.
Signed August 29, 1842 aboard HMS Cornwallis on the Yangtze, ending the First Opium War. Ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain, opened five treaty ports (Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai), imposed a 21 million silver dollar indemnity, and abolished the Canton System. The first of the 不平等条约 (unequal treaties) in Chinese historiography.
