In June 1858, the Treaty of Tientsin (Tianjin) effectively opened the door to Western trade with China. The agreement was just one of several 'unequal treaties' achieved more by force of Western arms than by any Chinese enthusiasm for foreign trade. While Imperial China remained a semi-medieval land, many of its ports were now open to foreigners, and rivers such as the Yangtze (Chang Kiang, or Chang Jiang) could be patrolled by Western warships. The terms of the treaty were quite specific. The clause that governed the activities of the Royal Navy stated that: British ships of war coming for no hostile purposes, or being engaged in the pursuit of pirates, shall be at liberty to visit all ports within the Dominions of the Emperor of China and shall receive every facility for the purchase of provisions and the procuring of water and, if occasion required, for the making of repairs. The Commanders of such ships shall hold intercourse with the Chinese Authorities on terms of equality and courtesy.
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