美国社会历史学家罗兹·墨菲(Rhoads Murphey)在一篇重要文章中认为,通商口岸对中国内陆既无积极影响又无消极影响,因为其经济贸易更多的是互为联系而不是与其腹地有联系。为了证明其观点,他引证了天津海关统计资料证实甚至在粮荒年份,天津的外贸也很兴旺,未受内陆的影响。事实上在形势特别严峻的年份外贸似乎尤其繁荣。例如,在19世纪70年代后期华北大旱期间,海关数字稳定增长。据估计, In an important article, American social historian Rhoads Murphey argues that the treaty ports have neither positive nor negative effects on the hinterland of China because their economic and trade links are more connected With its hinterland. In order to prove its point of view, he quoted statistics from Tianjin Customs that the foreign trade in Tianjin was also very prosperous even in the food shortage years and was not affected by the inland. In fact, it seems that foreign trade has been particularly prosperous in the particularly harsh years. For example, during the drought in North China in the late 1970s, the number of customs grew steadily. It is estimated that,