After China’s defeat in Korea, Li Hongzhang traveled to Japan in disgrace to sign another unequal treaty, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, adding to the humiliation China felt after the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of Tianjin. Japan forced China to cede control of the Korean peninsula and also claimed possession of Taiwan. China agreed to pay 230 million silver dollars in indemnities.

The sub-headline from The New York Times description of the event says it all: “Japan Treats China as a Semi-Civilized Nation.” Click on the photo to read the full article from the Times.

The Treaty of Shimonseki in The New York Times