The Illustrated London News covered the Opium Wars extensively. Articles highlighted naval battles, trade disputes, and the capture of key Chinese cities.
This treaty of Nanking ended the First Opium War, ceding Hong Kong to Britain and opening major ports for trade. The ILN captured the significance through vivid illustrations.
The Second Opium War saw the storming of Beijing and the looting of the Summer Palace, reported with some of the ILN's most dramatic illustrations.
Marking formalised diplomatic relations with China.
an unequal treaty between Britiain and Qing China, signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang, the Margary Affair 1875
Li Hongzhang's visit to England was widely covered, with articles on official receptions and cultural exchanges between Britain and China.
Britain negotiated a 99-year lease for the New Territories, expanding its control in the Hong Kong area. The ILN covered the strategic importance of this agreement.
- 1844: Treaty of the Bogue Supplementary agreement to the Treaty of Nanking, defining trading rights and extraterritoriality.
- 1894 to 1895: First Sino Japanese War The war between China and Japan over Korea
- 1895: The Shimonoseki Ended war between China and Japan and ceded Taiwan to the Japanese
- 1896: Li Hongzhang's visit to Britain Meetings with Queen Victoria and his European Tour. He visited the industrial area in Barrow, North West England, and toured Lake Windermere
- 1898: Hundred Days reform A failed reform movement featuring Kang Youwei
- 1900: Boxer Rebellion Coverage of the siege of foreign legations in Beijing and Allied intervention.
- 1912: End of Qing dynasty The Republic of China was established.
- 1927: Shanghai Massacre April 12th British perspectives on the violence.
- 1937: Second Sino Japanese War Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945.
- 1941: Fall of Hong Kong The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII.
- 1949: Establishment of the People's Republic of China The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII.
- 1954: Geneva Conference The British reaction to the communist government.