Treaty of Nanjing Negotiation Site

While it may be almost common knowledge that the Treaty of Nanking (that which ceded Hong Kong to British Colonial rule) was signed on a British warship anchored in the Yangtze off Nanjing, what is less widely known is that the prior negotiations were conducted in part of what is now Jinghai Temple (then a British army base), located behind the Xiaguan branch of Metro. In addition to enjoying an insight into the Chinese view of the 1842 “unfair treaty”, visitors to the fascinating museum that forms part of the Yuejiang Tower complex and tourist attraction can also learn more of China’s maritime history through the voyages of Zhen He, the celebrated explorer who took his fleet as far as South Africa while Columbus was still in nappies.