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Opium War (1840-1842)
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The Opium War: an Overview
The Opium War that took place from 1840 to 1842 was a war between China and Britain over opium trade and other trade-related issues. It ended with China’s defeat and the signing of its first unequal treaty, and marked the beginning of China’s early modern age.
The Opium War: an Overview
The Opium War that took place from 1840 to 1842 was a war between China and Britain over opium trade and other trade-related issues. It ended with China’s defeat and the signing of its first unequal treaty, and marked the beginning of China’s early modern age.
(1) The West vs. China
China’s defeat in the Opium War with Britain reflects a divergence of development during that period when Western countries strived towards an advancement which China rejected.
(2) British Trade Expansion
As Britain sought to profit from foreign trade multiple envoys were deployed to open the China market which, as a peasant economy, had no desire for trade.
(3) Mass Imports of Opium into China
British trade in the Far East was dependent on the illicit opium trade between British companies and China, where many thousands became addicted. This trade consumed huge sums of money, draining China’s coffers. The effective prohibition of opium became a national priority.
(4) Drug Fighter Lin Zexu
In 1839, Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou and immediately issued a ban on opium. In June of the same year, around 20,000 boxes of imported opium were seized and destroyed in Humen, attracting worldwide attention.
(5) A War between the Ancient and Advanced
After the opium destruction in Humen, Sino-British relations became increasingly tense and friction continued. In 1840, a war between industrialized Britain and ancient China eventually broke out, a face-off in which thousands of British troops confronting ten times and more Qing Army.
(6) The Treaty of Nanking and its Aftermath
The Treaty of Nanking was signed to conclude the Opium War. It required China to compensate Britain by making war reparations and numerous concessions. Amongst these, the ceding of Hong Kong Island to Britain was most significant and had wide-ranging implications.
(7) Chinese Intellectuals Began to Explore the World
The Opium War gave rise to a national movement of reflection among Chinese intellectuals. Figures such as Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan, Xu Jiyu and others opened the world to the people of China through a compilation of global knowledge, while Chinese scholars including Gong Zizhen and Feng Guifen advocated the modernization of China.