Johnson’s China

China shortly after the end of the Second Opium War.

This attractive map of China was published in New York by Johnson & Browning between 1860 and 1862, based on the publisher’s imprint and surrounding border. The image shows the country just a few years after the Treaty of Tientsin (1858), in which European powers (and the United States) forcibly opened ports to trade, effectively legalized opium imports, and authorized Christian missionary operations. Such treaty ports are underlined, as referenced in a note near the title block.

Further text references independent tribal chiefs, internal improvements (including the Great Wall), and other fascinating contemporary details. Inset maps show Canton (modern-day Guangzhou) and the Island of Amoy (Xiamen Island in the Strait of Taiwan).

Source: Johnson Map Project.