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The opium war introduction background
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Opium Wars in China The Opium Wars were a series of three wars between the Chinese and the British; primarily fought in regard to the illegal trade of opium in China during the 19th century. They manifested the conflicting natures of both nations and demonstrated China’s misconceptions of its own superiority. The Opium Wars resulted in the humiliating defeat of the Chinese to a country they considered to be “barbarians”. There were many problems with the system of trade in China; even before opium trading began. China, believing herself to be the most civilized and advanced country, did not feel the need to satisfy Britain, a “barbarian” country’s request for freer trade and were concerned the British wanted land. Britain however, had no desire for land and only wished to trade, believing it was their right to do so. These misunderstandings and differing opinions were only the start of more to come. They set the foundations to the British and Chinese hostilities. China’s monopolistic system of trade caused great frustration for the British. The incompatible British and Chinese views on trade resulted in the First Opium War. All trade in China was channeled through the city of Canton and was regulated by a group of Chinese merchants known as the “cohong” who imposed irregular taxes. No direct contact between the foreigners and Chinese were allowed. Such limitations and conditions caused dissatisfaction among the foreign merchants, in particular the British, who ...
Although it was illegal, many of the money hungry merchants excepted the opium in return for the things that were valuable to the English. Because of this, the first Anglo-Chinese war erupted. China underestimated the power of England and was defeated. At the end of the war, they were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842). The treaty was one of the first treaties known as the “Unfair Treaties.”
Timothy Brook’s book, The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China is a detailed account of the three centuries of the Ming Dynasty in China. The book allows an opportunity to view this prominent time period of Chinese history. Confusions of Pleasure not only chronicles the economic development during the Ming dynasty, but also the resulting cultural and social changes that transform the gentry and merchant class. Brook’s insights highlight the divide between the Ming dynasty’s idealized beliefs, and the realities of its economic expansion and its effects. Brook describes this gap through the use of several first hand accounts of individuals with various social statuses.
During the early Ming Dynasty, China was one of the most economically and technologically advanced countries in the world. As Ebrey pointed out, “Europe was not yet a force in Asia and China continued to look on the outer world in traditional terms.” China was regarded as the center of Asia at the beginning of 15th century and the idea of “Middle Kingdom” (Zhong guo) began to take off at that time. The early Ming Emperors were not interested in promoting commercial trade at all. Emperor Hongwu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, implemented the Hai jin policy which forbade maritime shipping and private foreign trade outside of the tributary system (Ebrey, p. 209). Emperor Yongle, the son of Emperor Hongwu, lifted this policy to a certain extent when he ordered his eunuch Zheng He’s voyages. However, he was only intereste...
China was once the center of the world. Any other country in the world could not match China’s political prowess and economic strength. However, as time progressed China stagnated while other powers, especially those in Europe, were going through their industrial revolution were growing more powerful and were eager to break into the Chinese market. Great Britain was one European power that was eager to break into the Chinese market since China was one of the few if not only country that had a trade surplus with Great Britain. Great Britain then decided to sell non-textile products to China and started selling them opium. China was not pleased that their people were being exposed to addictive drugs that rendered their working class unable
Rebellions had broken out around 1796 and 1804 and again in 1813, and the Manchus were losing their control over the immeasurable region (Jayawardena, 1986, p.168). French, Dutch, British and American boats, utilizing Macao as a base, entered similarly as Canton where specie and opium which shaped 57% of Chinese imports in 1838 were traded for tea, porcelain, silk and cotton products (Jayawardena, 1986, p.168). This restricted exchange, on the other hand, could not fulfill colonialist intrigues. The Industrial Revolution had introduced a time of development and Western nations requested that China opened up as a business opportunity for the products of its manufacturing products and factories as source of raw materials (Jayawardena, 1986, p.167). The British pursued the first war animosity on China; once the Chinese were defeated the British took over Shanghai. Once new rules and regulations were forced and agreed by the Chinese; the colonizers was still not satisfied attacking the Chinese again. Generally, China 's prevailing philosophy had been Confucianism, and according to this ideology the significant social institution is family. This is where everyone in the society has to position their role and for women it meant the obedience of her husband and if she is not married, her father (Jayawardena, 1986, p.169). In addition, women were expected to
“Catastrophe, riots, factories blowing up, armies in flight, flood - the ear can detect a whole apocalypse in the starry night of the human body (Cocteau).” China is the human body of this metaphor, as Cocteau points out the destruction and chaos opium can cause in the body of man; it does the same to the well-being of China during the early to mid eighteen-hundreds. The aim of this paper is to discuss a key issue in which plagued China in their opposition to opium trade leading up to and during the Opium War. While there are many important issues related to China’s opium problem, the scope of this paper will be strategic errors. It is important to note that if improvements were made in this field, it does not guarantee that the
Therefore, if it were not for the introduction of sugar to the English diet, the use for sugar as a sweetener may not have been established. For when sugar was place in tea, a new habit began. This habit of drinking tea, in a sense was as addictive as opium for the Chinese society. They were both products of plants that were ingested. Both were also used a weapons against one another; it was a fight for power over each other. China used tea to monopolize trade, and Britain used opium to break down and weak the Chinese and eventually gain favorable trade of China. This would then give Britain the unlimited accessibility to tea. Sugar intensified the drinking habit of tea. It was sugar affect British society so extensively that over time it would influence conflicts between two nations. These conflicts led to the Opium war.
During the time of Imperialism, motivations to colonize regions such as Asia, Africa, and the Muslim World were greatly influenced by economic, political, and social interests. The imperialist nation of Great Britain especially demonstrated economic interest when it came to the Opium War with China. Leading up to the war, China enjoyed a trade surplus, exporting more than it imported. Westerners, on the other hand, had a trade deficit with China, buying more from the Chinese than they sold to them. Consequently, Great Britain decided to illegally sell an addictive drug called opium. After this product was outlawed by the Chinese Government, Great Britain decided to go to war. Great Britain's main motivations for the war were expanding their
The British Empire economy was partially helped by Opium; it contributed to its prosperity during the 19th century by giving them the opportunity to obtain profits out of Opium trade and maintain their wealth. British are tea addicts and lovers, and consumed it in large quantities; they also had a great demand of other Chinese commodities such as silk and porcelain, they had to import all this from China. The imbalance in commerce betw...
The opium wars were two wars between China and Britain in the nineteenth century about the trade of opium and taxation of the Chinese by the British. Opium was used heavily by the Chinese during the seventeenth and eighteenth century recreationally. In 1799, the Chinese government outlawed opium trade. The Chinese people still used opium often, estimated at 5 million pounds in 1830. In 1839, large quantities of opium was found on British merchants who were going to market the drug to Chinese people. Britain did not feel that the ban on opium was legit and demanded that the opium be returned to its British owners. China refused and Britain shelled the area of Hong Kong. The war continued until 1842, when China accepted the Treaty of Nanking, which basically changed the framework of foreign trade. The trade also gave Hong Kong and five other cities British rule. In 1856, the second Opium War, or commonly referred to as the “Arrow War,” initiated due to the fact that Britain felt that there were treaty violations by the Chinese. The British ship Arrow was boarded by Chinese officials and its twelve crew members were arrested for the crime of opium smuggling. Britain raided inland to China with the help of France and led to a signing of the Treaty of Tientsin in 1858. Chinese officials refused to accept the treaty and again Britain invaded China and eventually made China sign the treaty in
Allingham,, Philip V. "England and China: The Opium Wars, 1839-60." The Victorian Web: An Overview. 24 June 2006. Web. 06 Apr. 2011.
Opium first entered China in the 7th century for the purpose of medical. And then England brought opium grown in India and traded opium with Chinese. Gradually more and more Chinese people were addicted into opium, which was bad for their health. Chinese government decided to ban opium but the outcome was fail, the first opium war was failed and China should open five treaty ports for England, this is the first time England used opium to open China, which made China open to foreign trade. After the first opium war, the opening ports introduced Chinese silk and tea to foreign countries, the tea export increased 500% and silk export increased 28 times compared with before the first opium war; in addition, Hong announced foreigners could trade
The Opium Trade In China.Map. The first Opium War :the Anglo Chinese War of 1839-1842. Accessed
The start of this war was when China wanted to end all trades with the British that contained any opium.
Fay, Peter Ward. 1997. Opium War, 1840-1842 : Barbarians in the Celestial Empire in the Early Part of the Nineteenth Century and the War By Which They Forced Her Gates Ajar. University of North Carolina Press, 1997. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2011).