Chefoo Convention
Encyclopedia
The Chefoo Convention was an "unequal treaty" between the Qing and British
Empires, which was signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang
in Chefoo
on 21 August 1876. The official reason for the treaty was to resolve the "Margary Affair
," but the final treaty included a number of items that had no direct relation to the killing of Margary the year earlier.
the year before and stipulating that an indemnity be paid to Margary's relatives. The second section dealt with official intercourse between the two empires and specified the extraterritorial privileges of British subjects in China. The final section dealt with trade, prohibiting the levying of the Lijin in the treaty ports, outlawing other forms of taxes on foreign goods and opening a number of new treaty ports.
One practical result of the treaty was that the official mission of apology to Britain, led by Guo Songtao
, became a permanent diplomatic mission in Britain, opening the way for a permanent foreign representation of China.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
Empires, which was signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang or Li Hung-chang , Marquis Suyi of the First Class , GCVO, was a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire...
in Chefoo
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
on 21 August 1876. The official reason for the treaty was to resolve the "Margary Affair
Margary Affair
Margary Affair is the name of a crisis in Sino-British relations, which followed the murder of British official Augustus Raymond Margary in 1875....
," but the final treaty included a number of items that had no direct relation to the killing of Margary the year earlier.
Contents of the Treaty
The convention consisted of sixteen articles and was divided into three sections. The first section dealt with the resolution of the Margary Affair, calling for the punishment of the people implicated in the murder of Augustus Raymond MargaryAugustus Raymond Margary
Augustus Raymond Margary was a British diplomat and explorer. The murder of Margary and his entire staff, while surveying overland Asian trade routes, sparked the Margary Affair which led to the Chefoo Convention....
the year before and stipulating that an indemnity be paid to Margary's relatives. The second section dealt with official intercourse between the two empires and specified the extraterritorial privileges of British subjects in China. The final section dealt with trade, prohibiting the levying of the Lijin in the treaty ports, outlawing other forms of taxes on foreign goods and opening a number of new treaty ports.
One practical result of the treaty was that the official mission of apology to Britain, led by Guo Songtao
Guo Songtao
Guo Songtao was a Chinese diplomat and statesman during the Qing dynasty.-Early career:Guo was born in Xiangyin, Hunan in 1818. As a young man, Guo studied at the Yuelu Academy in Changsha, where befriended Zeng Guofan. In 1847, Guo was awarded the highest degree in the imperial exams and soon...
, became a permanent diplomatic mission in Britain, opening the way for a permanent foreign representation of China.