What was the outcome of the Nanjing Treaty for the British?

The Treaty of
Nanjing was signed in 1842.  It was the result of the first Opium War.  It was the first of what
are known as the "Unequal Treaties" because of the fact that the treaties forced
concessions from China without giving anything in return.

In the Treaty of
Nanjing, the British mainly got things that they wanted for trade purposes. Before the treaty,
British merchants could trade only with specified people in one city (Canton).  The treaty
abolished that system and allowed the British to trade with whoever they wished in Canton and in
four other ports.

The other major outcome of the treaty was that Britain took
possession of Hong Kong.  This gave the British a secure base of operations in China.  It
allowed them to have an area from which to trade that was completely under their
jurisdiction.