Treaty of Nanking

Historical eventAugust 291842

Treaty of Nanking

Under the Treaty of Nanking, an "unequal treaty" that ended the First Opium War, the Chinese island from which Hong Kong would grow was ceded to Britain.

In context

When
Monday, August 29 1842184 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1840s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1842.

What happened

The Treaty of Nanjing was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the second of what the Chinese later termed the unequal treaties, after the rejected 1841 Convention of Chuenpi, signed by British Superintendent of trade in China, Charles Elliot, and Qing Imperial Commissioner, Qishan, which the treaty was largely based on.

August 29 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1842Treaty of Nanking
  2. 1998Cubana de Aviación Flight 389
  3. 2001Binter Mediterráneo Flight 8261
  4. 2003Sayyid
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina
  6. 20072007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident
  7. 20122012 Summer Paralympics
  8. 2012Xiaojiawan coal mine disaster
  9. 2016Chen Quanguo
  10. 20202020 Women's FA Community Shield
  11. 2022Russo-Ukrainian war

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  • August 1Lombard Street riotThree days of rioting erupted after a parade in Philadelphia, celebrating the end of slavery in the West Indies, was attacked by a mob.
  • March 9Rancho San FranciscoAwaking from a nap under a tree at Rancho San Francisco, Francisco López made the first popularly documented discovery of gold in Califor…
  • March 9NabuccoNabucco, an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi that established his reputation, premiered at La Scala in Milan.

Everything we record for 1842 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Treaty of Nanking”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/treaty-of-nanking-1842-august-29, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Treaty of Nanking happen?

August 29 1842 — 184 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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