The Treaty of Nanking was the first of the "unequal treaties" that China was forced to sign. And the term was fairly applied to this treaty. Although the British had to withdraw their troops, the rest of the terms benefited them over the Chinese. The Qing had to repay the British for the opium Lin Zexu confiscated, release all British prisoners, and cede Hong Kong to the British. In addition to Hong Kong, four other ports were opened to the British.: Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai. The sale of opium, which was the cause of the war in the first place, was not even addressed in the treaty.

Thus, the Treaty of Nanking was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839-1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what the Chinese later termed the Unequal Treaties. This treaty introduced the period of the Capitulations. It contained the dangerous clause which added most to China's misfortunes - the Most Favoured Nation clause, providing that if China granted any privilege to any other state, that privilege should also automatically be granted to Great Britain. In connection with this treaty, it was agreed that the Chinese customs should be supervised by European consuls; and a trade treaty was granted. Similar treaties followed in 1844 with France and the United States.