The Opium War

Who?The Opium war was a conflict between Britain and China.

Leading people involved was Qing emperor, Lin Zexu, Captain Elliot

and Queen Victoria.

Why?The illegal trading

and use of opium in China!

The Opium War: Why?- In the late 18th century,

European countries developed interest in trading with China, but were rejected by the Qing emperor.

- China was extremely self sufficient and its nationalistic culture felt belittled other nations.

The Opium War: Why?- Britain was determined

to find a product that China could not provide themselves.

- Eventually they found one: opium.

- Opium is an addictive narcotic made from the poppy plant.

The Opium War: Why?

- Chinese doctors had been using opium to relieve pain for centuries.

- British merchants began smuggling the drug into the China for recreational use.

The Opium War: Why?- It took a few

decades to catch on, but by 1835 as many as 12 million Chinese people were addicted to smoking opium.

The Opium War: Why?- Widespread opium

addiction angered the Qing emperor.

- Lin Zexu, one of his highest advisors wrote a letter to Queen Victoria in 1832 addressing the problem.

- China received no answer to their pleas.

“By what right do they [British merchants] . . . use the poisonous

drug to injure theChinese people? . . . I have

heard that the smoking of opium is very strictly forbidden by

your country; that is because the harm caused by opium is

clearly understood. Since it isnot permitted to do harm to your

own country, then even less should you let it be

passed on to the harm of other countries.”

Excerpt from Lin Zexu’s letter to Queen Victoria

The Opium War: Why?- Britain wanted the

right to sell opium in China.

- It brought in lots of income for their own country.

- Eventually Britain clashed with China in the conflict known as the Opium War.

What?

A series of battles, mostly taken place at sea in China.

The Opium War: What?- In March of 1839, Lin Zexu traveled to

Canton where he confiscated 10,000 pounds of opium, and made 1,600 arrests to those involved in the trade.

- He then ordered the seizure of 20,000 more crates of opium from a foreign-owned factory.

- He held all foreign merchants prisoner until they surrendered 9 million dollars worth of opium, which he then burned publicly.

- Lastly, he ordered the port of Canton closed to all foreign merchants.

The Opium War: What?- Britain was outraged.- In November of 1839 the

Royal Navy sank a number of Chinese vessels near Guangzhou.

- By January of 1841, they had captured the Bogue forts and high ground above the port of Canton.

- The British forces were led by Captain Charles Elliot.

The Opium War: What?- The British defeated the Chinese on

land at Ningbo and Chinhai. - In August of 1841, Captain Elliot

was seen as too moderate for the British and was replaced by Sir Henry Pottinger.

- He launched a major offense and soon conquered the rice producing lands of South China.

The Opium War: What?- China had suffered a humiliating defeat.- The realized that there was no way they

could defeat Britain.- They outdated ships were no match for

Britains.-In 1842, China signed a peace treaty called

the Treaty of Nanjing. -It gave Britain the territory of Hong Kong.- In 1844, they signed another treaty, giving

the U.S. and other countries extraterritorial rights.

Where?- Mostly at sea- Many cities throughout

China and on its coast

When?The Opium War began in

March of 1839 and ended on August 29th, 1842.

The Opium War weakened China and left it vulnerable to the sphere of influence. The opium trade continued in China and its people greatly resented the foreigners invading their home.