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This book begins with the British gradually eroding China in the late Qing Dynasty through the opium trade in 1832, and narrates more than 80 years of modern history until 1914. At that time, the Qing government closed the country and maintained only minimal trade with the West. Through the opium trade and war, Britain broke the balance between East and West. Western powers forced the Qing government to open its borders, sign a series of unequal treaties, and open a series of treaty ports. This book uses small things to see the big things, and through vivid stories, it shows the changes in the concessions, treaty ports, customs, and even the entire Chinese society. It should be noted that the main observation perspective of this book comes from the letters, diaries, archives of foreigners in China at that time, as well as the newspapers and periodicals sponsored by them. It can be said that it is a very rare reading and observation perspective to speculate and analyze the various behavioral motivations and logic of Western powers through the perspective of foreigners.