This book presents a wide range of new research on the Chinese treaty ports – the key strategic places on China’s coast where in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries various foreign powers controlled, through "unequal treaties", whole cities or parts of cities, outside the jurisdiction of the Chinese authorities. Topics covered include land and how it was acquired, the flow of people, good and information, specific individuals and families who typify life in the treaty ports, and technical advances, exploration, and innovation in government.

Robert Bickers is Professor of History at the University of Bristol and a Co-Director of the British Inter-University China Centre, UK.

Isabella Jackson is Assistant Professor in Chinese History at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.