The purpose of this website is to inform you about The Opium Wars. I recently wrote a paper based on the Opium Wars. My thesis was that the Opium Wars were not only based on opium alone, but also on the cultural differences between the East and the West. This webpage however, will not go into that. It will explore only the major aspects of the wars.
Opium is a flower, or poppy, that can be smoked, or taken as a narcotic. It first began to be cultivated back in 3400 B.C., by the Sumerians, who referred to it as "the joy plant" because it made them feel happy. Several hundred years later, in 430 B.C., opium was declared to be a medicine to treat internal diseases. It became a valuable trade item. All the way forwards into 1600 A.D., opium was not only used as a medicine anymore, but also for pleasure, by the Indians and Persians. Today, we realize that opium is a dangerous and addictive drug. It can be used to make heroin, which is also extremely addictive and dangerous to health. Because of this, opium is banned pretty much everywhere.
An opium poppy looks like this: And can be made into this: The conflict that started the first Opium War started in the early 1800's. However, the initial step that marked the start of the first Opium War was in November of 1839. The Chinese signed a treaty to end that pasrt of the war in 1842. The second Opium War started in 1856 and ended in 1860. Obviously, the battles of the Opium War were fought on the lands and along the coasts of China.
The Opium Wars started with opium. In the early 1800's, Britain, being a fairly modern country, could not find an item to export to China that they could trade with and make a large profit from. They tried things that worked with other countries, such as tea and many other items, until they found an item that they could make a large profit from- opium. Opium seemed to be a good choice of trade at first, until a new leader of China came into rule- Lin Tse-hsü. Lin Tse-hsü had a mission to shut down the opium trade. He closed down opium merchants all over China, and wrote a letter to Queen Victoria requesting that Britain cease all opium trade. He believed that opium was a harmful addictive drug, and since it was illegal in Brtain because of it's negative effects there, then it should have been illegal in China too. Aside from the conflict with opium, tensions were already high between britain and China because of an issue involving the relationship between foreigners and Chinese law.
Lin Tse-hsü: The first battle of the first Opium War was very important. It was important, of course, because it started the whole battle part of the war. Leading up to the first battle, Chinese junks tried to send back British ships from landing at China's ports. The English, angered by this, sent warhips, and the battle begun. Britain continuously and brutally beat Britain through pretty much every battle. This was because Britain being a country of the West with many factories, was much more technologically advanced than Britain. Therefore, China was very unprepared for the type of fighting that Britain had against it.
The treaty that marked the end and the agreement of the Opium Wars greatly favored Britain over China. The first part of the treaty said that if any British citizen visiting China was to commit a crime, then they would be subjected to British law, not Chinese law. The next part of the treaty said that the British would no longer have to pay tribute to the imperial administration in order to trade with China. As another trade benefit, Britain also gained 5 new Chinese ports as part of the treaty. No restrictions at all were based on British trade. This obviously meant good news for Britain, and it harmed China even more than it was first thought to, because the British were able to trade even more opium than ever before secretly after the treaty was signed.
There is a definite effect of the Opium Wars on the world today, and this has to do mainly with China and China's role in the world. before the Opium Wars occured, as a mentioned, China was not a very modernized country. However, the Opium Wars sparked more industrialization in China after their defeat. The Gazetteer was written right after the Opium Wars ended, by a Chinese author named Wei Yüan. According to Wei Yüan, China was a peaceful and civilized country, but it was in danger of falling due to the technological superiority of Western powers. The publication of The Gazetteer was the first systematic attempt to educate the Chinese in Western technologies and culture, making it a landmark event in Chinese history, an event that led to the technological modernization of China.
What is the time setting of the Opium Wars, and where did they take place?
Why did the Opium Wars occur?
How was the fighting in the Opium Wars done?
