Despite the outcry over the fall of Shanghai and the Rape of Nanking, the Western powers were not prepared to intervene against Japan. However there was some hope for the Chinese - in April their troops managed their first major victory, defeating the Japanese at Tai'erzhuang and temporarily preventing the connection of the two Japanese armies.
Treaty ports were towns opened to foreign trade by unequal treaties in China. Foreigners operating within treaty ports enjoyed extraterritoriality, being subject to their home country's laws. Unlike concessions such as Hong Kong, these territories were not directly leased by the foreign powers and did not have sizable foreign garrisons.
Treaty ports are not shown in the maps after the 1911 Chinese Revolution in order to give a clearer picture of the chaos in China itself and as by that point their numbers had stabilized. After the revolution, some of the smaller ports were phased out while the others became less important as the situation in China meant that only the concessions could provide foreigners with security. Most, however, still continued on into the 1940s when the Japanese entry into World War II and foreign agreements with China brought them to an end.
See this map for treaty ports in 1907, when the system was at its peak.
Yangtze River
By the terms of the Treaty of Tientsin (1858), foreign vessels including warships had the right to free navigation on the Yangtze River. In practical terms, this right extended only as far as Yichang until 1900, when advances in steam navigation allowed access as far inland as Chongqing.
Main Events
14 Dec 1937 Japanese back creation of Provisional Government of the Republic of China in northern China
▲
Japanese back creation of Provisional Government of the Republic of China in northern China
in wikipedia
? Jan 1938 Communist Chinese infiltration into Shanxi-Hebei-Chahar
▲
Communist Chinese infiltration into Shanxi-Hebei-Chahar
in wikipedia
In early 1938, under increasing pressure from Hitler and domestic activists pushing for the unification of Austria and Germany (Anschluss), Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced that a referendum on a possible union would be held on 13 March. On the 12th the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria, seizing control of the country without military opposition and with the enthusiasm of much of the populace. The next day Germany annexed Austria, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The plebiscite would eventually be held on 10 April, officially ratifying the move.
in wikipedia
28 Mar 1938 Japanese back creation of Reformed Government of the Republic of China
▲
Japanese back creation of Reformed Government of the Republic of China
in wikipedia
