Prior to the 19th century, the Chinese were concerned that European trade and missionary activity would upset the order of the empire. Strictly controlled and subject to import tariffs, European traders were limited to operating in Canton and Macao. Following a series of military defeats against Britain and France, Qing China were slowly forced to permit extraterritorial privileges for foreign nationals and even cessions of Chinese sovereignty over certain ports and mineral rights. Foreign trade was approved there for the British and French by the 1860 Peking Convention. Between 1895 and 1900, these two powers were joined by Japan, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium – countries without concessions elsewhere in China – in establishing self-contained concessions each with their own prisons, schools, barracks, and hospitals. Offered here is a very rare photograph album containing 103 original photographs of various sizes taken by, or obtained for a German soldier serving in Tianjin (Tientsin, as it was called by the Germans). These incredible images cover a wide range of topics including: group photographs of officers; men on parade in Peking; Prince Adalbert and Chinese officials in Peking, German troops being reviewed and in the field; views of barracks in Shanghai; troops of other nations standing at attention; soldiers on leave; Chinese dignitaries and locals; German memorials; rivers and landmarks, etc. The photos are mounted within a 14 x 11 in. album with a decorative cover, lacking the spine cover and a few inlaid pieces, with only a few of the photos damaged at the margins, else very good.