Picture of Negotiations with the Peace Envoy Li Hongzhang

The peace negotiations between Japan and Qing China at Shimonoseki in spring 1895 — which produced the Treaty of Shimonoseki ending the First Sino-Japanese War — are depicted in this March 1895 nishiki-e. Li Hongzhang, the Qing envoy, sits opposite Japanese plenipotentiaries in a formal negotiating setting. Kiyochika's treatment of the diplomatic scene carries a victor's authority: Japan dictating terms, China accepting defeat. The negotiations resulted in Taiwan's cession to Japan and a massive indemnity payment.