Booklet 1 - Treaty ports and the significance of growing trade

Question 1

describe shanghai in the 1860s

Answer 1

the centre of internal chinese commerce and trade
british influence - trade-related not territorial

Question 2

how long had britain had control of shanghai

Answer 2

since the nanjing treaty, Britain had control of inland waterways
from Shanghai, ports opened westwards on the Yangtze

Question 3

Shanghai settlement dates

Answer 3

1845
by 1863 it had merged with the french/us settlement

Question 4

describe the shanghai settlement

Answer 4

it had its own police/fire/armed services
well-to-do british society (e.g. golf, race courses)
opium trade flourished there

Question 5

Banking

Answer 5

1865 - Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company (HSBC) set up

Question 6

goods (initially)

Answer 6

british wanted tea/silk/porcelain
the chinese market only wanted opium as there wasn’t much call for foreign goods

Question 7

what imports increased over time

Answer 7

british raw cotton imports
as textile mills grew (e.g. Shanghai)

Question 8

tariffs

Answer 8

british authorities set a low fixed tariff rate of 5%
which failed to protect chinese industries

Question 9

new commercial class

Answer 9

compradors
chinese who assisted in foreign firms
first entrepreneurs

Question 10

signficance of growing trade

Answer 10

only treaty ports
only small amount of population - peasants too poor and Qing too passive to drive industrialisation