[rmah]

Yes, among other locations (Hong Kong, Canton, Amoy, Shanghai, etc.). I was describing the various "treaty ports" that were established following the Opium Wars, which were essentially a series of wars fought by the west to allow the import of illegal drugs into China. The major western powers forced China into providing land and extra-territorial rights to westerners in China.

The Chinese still remember this era quite vividly and describe it as the "Century of Humiliation".