Part of the Treaty of Nanjing (copy)

On August 29, 1842, China and the UK signed the first unequal treaty in modern China—The Treaty of Nanjing. Article 3 of the Treaty of Nanjing: “His Majesty the Emperor of China cedes to Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, &c., the Island of Hong-Kong, to be possessed in perpetuity by Her Britannic Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, and to be governed by such Laws and Regulations as Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, &c., shall see fit to direct.”