The Opium War The Opium War, directed by Jin Xie, paints a rather impartial account of the Opium War, starting with the appointment of Lin Zexu to end the opium trade in China to the signing of the Treaty of Nanking. This film seemed to fairly depict the faults of both the Chinese and the British during the 1830’s and up to 1842. That said, The Opium War illustrated two important factors that both helped to promote the conflict and eventual military confrontation between China and Britain. The first
The Qing Dynasty of China before the Opium Wars were isolationist and not fond of foreign trade and import. The Opium Wars were two conflicts between China and Britain with disputes over trade and diplomatic relations. The Opium Wars were centered around the British smuggling of opium, a highly addictive drug into China after it was prohibited. The Chinese lost both wars and were forced to sign “unequal” treaties which favored the British. The Opium Wars had many effects on China, but there were
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 was primarily used for medicinal purposes, but later became too addictive and was banned. The usage of opium was very large. Greater availability of Opium stimulated bigger international trade between China and British India. China had a lot of things to offer to the western civilizations such as: silk, tea, porculan, and others. The first Opium War occurred in the year 1840. The Chinese government was made aware of the dangers of opium smoking among the Chinese people and banned it in 1839
The China today – powerful and ever-growing wasn’t always like this. One major event in history around the mid 1800s that we all have seemed to have forgotten was the Opium Wars. What really caused the opium war was when China wanted to halt all trades about opium with the British. The geography of China was something like a fence. This isolation made the people of China feel like their country was prestigious and secluded from the rest of the world. With deserts and the Himalayas running along
the Oxford Dictionary, Opium is a “reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic”. In China, Opium was first intended for medical use and later, during the 19th century it became a symbol of problems that hit on China. China’s high consumption of Opium brought social calamity for the country and in the other hand, it contributed to the economic prosperity Britain was going through. Opium also created tension
The First Opium War or the Anglo-Chinese War fought in 1839 to 1842 between Britain and China was the product of a century long imbalance between the two country’s trades and had long lasting impacts on China. Britain was a nation addicted to tea, a delicacy that could only be grown in China and the silver they spent on it began to drain the treasury. The counterattack for Britain was opium. The ill effects of the drug soon became apparent, as addiction problems worsened; officials in both 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
The Opium Wars and Modernization of China Because of economical, social, and political effects still seen today, the Opium Wars were successful in the westernization of China. They successfully opened trading with others and forced the country to be exposed fully to the countries of the west. In the late 18th century, Great Britain was making a huge profit off of trading the drug opium with Chinese silver. Opium was banned in Britain, but was eventually traded by loopholes and smuggling. In China
Gregorio Lopez Mr. Locks British Lit 4/7/14 The First Opium War and its aftermath on Chinese To the normal Chinese man during the early 19th century, opium was nothing more than a luxury that only those of higher power or influence could indulge themselves in. Yet by the middle of the 19th century opium had become a commodity that everyone could have and that at the same time they seemed to need. Even though it was now such a big part of the normal chinese culture, it did not benefit the people nor
The First Anglo-Chinese War as an Opium War The Chinese customarily calls the Anglo-Chinese War 1839-1842 the Opium War because from their point of view, the opium trade was the main cause of the war. From the British standpoint, the motive for the war was not opium prohibition but rather the repeated insults and humiliation; the British had received from the Chinese government. They claimed that the conflict between China and Britain had been brewing for many decades
The Opium War took place from 1839 to 1842 between China and Britain. Several factors contributed to the start of the war, including conflicts over trading policies and other diplomatic relations related issues. No doubt that there are disagreements up until today about what is the proper interpretation of this significant war, just as there are for other historical events worldwide. One of the major controversy lay on the issue of whether China, during the Qing dynasty, was responsible or not for
Opium Wars in China It is widely acknowledged and respected that China is one of the most modernized and advanced countries in the world. However, this has not always been the case for this great nation. Nowadays referred to as the People’s Republic of China, it is booming economically, technologically, et cetera. Yet, prior to the Opium Wars that began in 1839, China could not compare to the prominent countries at that time that were primarily European. China is located in East Asia and did not
The First Opium War between the British and China were fought over the countries conflicts in trade and dissimilar perspectives in diplomatic relations. One of the greatest factors of the war was opium, which had caused great instability of the socioeconomic status of China preceding the war and China’s actions in ending the opium import from the British was known to have sparked the war. China has been greatly criticized for provoking this Anglo Chinese War, against the British Empire, one of the
Opium is a drug that has been used for medicinal purposes since the Neolithic Age, nearly four thousand years ago (Cowell). Today, some of the components of opium are used in heroin, a more powerful drug than opium that calms the body but harms later on. As seen in The Good Earth, opium is dangerous, as it killed Wang Lung’s uncle quickly and effectively, even though the uncle enjoyed the opium very much. Opium is still used as a painkiller, but if consumed in excess, it will eventually kill. History
The Impact of the Opium War on China The Chinese were constantly taken advantage of from the early 1800’s to the 1900’s, mainly due to the lack of stability within the nation. On top of this, China was economically, socially, and politically behind, making them extremely vulnerable. The instability led to countries forcing China to make unfair deals, as well as sign unfair treaties. The Chinese were struggling to hold their country together, and with other countries taking advantage of China’s weakness
the Opium Wars. This left China as weak nation compared to the United States and other European countries. The Opium Wars resulted in widespread opium addiction in China. A population explosion led to a labor surplus and a without the necessary food production to keep it afloat. This was made worse by several famines. To try to stabilize, the peasants were given high taxation levels. This fuelled peasant unrest and rebellion throughout the 1800's and soon China became engulfed in civil war. As a
The Impact of Opium Use in Nineteenth-Century England Introduction Evidence from contemporary newspapers and other sources suggest that by the mid nineteenth-century England was beginning to realize the depth of its opium problem. Opium had been introduced by the Arabs around the sixteenth-century, England began to seriously trade it around the late seventeenth- century. English citizens, by this time, through its exploits, were using the drug for medical reasons. However, most of these new
a country which was brought to light during the Opium Wars. Through brute force, the United Kingdom was able to coerce the Chinese into numerous trade agreements1. This weakness exhibited
Immigration has been prevalent in The United States of America since the days of colonization in the 17th century. Masses of migrants around the world have sought a place in which to escape persecution, gain economic fortunes, and live their lives in freedom. America has always symbolized the land of opportunity everyone has been looking for, as exemplified by the inscription on The Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse