The Opium War in
China
In the mid-eighteenth century, the tea
market in Europe and America gained incredible response from the
West, along with constant demand for Chinese silk as well as
porcelain. While China was in its pre-industrial stage that time, it
insisted for only a little amount of this new drink from what the
West was offering, so that the Westerners, especially Britishers
could incur a poor balance of trade. To provide a remedy to this
situation, the foreigners established a third-part trade and started
trading their goods in India as well as Southeast Asia in exchange
for raw materials and semi-processed goods, for which there was a
ready market in the city of Guangzhou in China. The beginning of the
nineteenth century marked the Britishers importing raw cotton and
opium from India to China, despite opium being banned by the
imperial ruling. Only profit-seeking merchants and corrupt
bureaucratic system made it possible for opium to enter into the
city.
In the year 1839, with unsuccessful
anti-opium campaigns, the Qing government assumed radical
prohibitory laws against the trade of opium. The emperor Qin sent
Lin Zexu, the Commissioner during the period 1785-1850, to Guangzhou
to ban the illicit trade of opium into the city. Lin then seized and
all illegitimate stocks of opium held by Chinese dealers and
apprehended the entire foreign community. Lin also seized and
demolished around 20,000 containers of illegal British opium.
Thereafter, the British stroke back with a retaliatory expedition,
resulting into the first Anglo-Chinese war, more popularly known as
the Opium War which lasted from 1839 to 1842. The Chinese unprepared
for war and for having underestimated the British capabilities
drastically lose the Opium War and their imperial image. This led to
the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 between the British
plenipotentiary and two Manchu imperial commissioners. The Chinese
regarded the agreement as the unequal treaties and national
humiliation for the ensuing century.
The Treaty of Nanjing resulted into the
following acts by China:
-
Handover of the island of Hong Kong
to the British
-
Abolishment of the licensed monopoly
trade system
-
Opening of 5 ports to British
foreign trade
-
Lessening trade tariff to 5 percent
ad valorem
-
Exemption from Chinese laws for
British nationals
-
Payment of a large indemnity
The Britishers were granted the
treatment of the most-favored nation. The treaty also paved way for
other wars and treaties offering new concessions and privileges for
the foreigners.
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