The First and Second Opium Wars in China - sevies. · The opium poppy is a type of plant. Its seed pods produce a substance called morphine, which is used to make a number of different

The First and Second Opium Wars inChina

A battle between Chinese and British soldiers in the First Opium War. Image from the public domain

In the 1700s, European nations sought to expand trade in Asia by connecting with the powerful

Qing Empire in China. For more than 1,000 years, China had been the source of fabulous luxury

items as the eastern endpoint of the Silk Road.

The European traders had a couple of problems, namely that China was hostile to outsiders.

Foreigners could only trade in the port of Canton and could not enter the rest of China. They were

also banned from learning Chinese. European consumers were crazy for Chinese silks, porcelain

and tea, yet China wanted nothing to do with any European goods. Instead, the Qing required all

payment for their goods in silver, a costly way to do business for the Europeans.

In the early 1800s, the British East India Company hit upon a second form of payment, which was

illegal but acceptable to the Chinese traders: opium from British India.

By ThoughtCo.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.18.17

Word Count 978

Level 1020L

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The opium poppy is a type of plant. Its seed pods produce a substance called morphine, which is

used to make a number of different drugs. Today, these drugs are used by doctors to treat pain.

Some people used to and still do take them without a doctor's order. These drugs can be very

dangerous when used this way. Many people used and became addicted to opium in the 1800s,

which caused concern within the Qing Dynasty. Meanwhile, British trade soared.

The First Opium War

In 1839, China's Daoguang Emperor decided to act. The governor of Canton confiscated 20,00o

chests of British opium and ordered that they be destroyed. Outraged, British traders asked their

government for help.

Tensions quickly mounted and, on July 7, 1839, British and American sailors from several opium

ships rioted in Kowloon and killed a man. The British refused to turn the rioters over to the

Chinese and, instead, six sailors were tried in a British court in Canton. Although convicted, they

were freed once they reached Britain.

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After this incident, Qing officials declared that no foreign merchants would be allowed to trade

with China unless they agreed to stiff conditions. These conditions included outlawing the opium

trade and submitting to Chinese laws. The British suspended all trade and ordered British ships

to withdraw from China.

In October 1839, the British Navy blockaded Canton. They did not want to let in any foreign ships

that agreed to China's strict conditions. Qing Navy ships came out to protect incoming ships, and

the British Navy responded by sinking several Chinese ships. It was the first in a long string of

terrible defeats for Qing forces over the next two and a half years. The British seized several key

ports along China's coastline. Stunned and humiliated, the Qing government asked for peace.

The Treaty of Nanking

On August 29, 1842, Britain and China agreed to the Treaty of Nanking, which is also called the

First Unequal Treaty. China was forced to make trade with Britain less expensive. Britain was

also granted preferred trade status, and its citizens were not subject to Chinese law. China also

gave up the island of Hong Kong to Britain. Finally, the Qing government agreed to pay Britain 21

million silver dollars for the cost of the war.

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This treaty caused China to suffer economic and political hardship. China had long been the

superpower of East Asia, but the First Opium War exposed Qing China's weaknesses. Neighbors

like Japan noticed.

The Second Opium War

The United States and France forced Qing officials to agree to similar treaties. The Qing tried to

stall in carrying them out, but Britain continued to make additional demands. On October 8, 1856,

matters came to a head when China seized another British smuggling ship. This prompted the

British to destroy four Chinese coastal forts and sink more than 20 naval ships. At the time, China

faced a major internal war called the Taiping Rebellion. It could not defend against the new British

assault.

Many Europeans saw China as a good place to spread Christianity. But the Qing opposed this

outside religion. In February 1856, a French Catholic missionary was arrested in China and

executed. Again, this was done according to Chinese law. But the French used it as an excuse to

join the British and launch the Second Opium War. Between December 1857 and mid-1858, the

Anglo-French forces captured still more Chinese territory. China surrendered, and was forced to

sign the punitive Treaty of Tientsin in June 1858.

This new treaty allowed Europeans and the United States to impose harsh conditions against

China. China also had to give up a huge amount of silver and give up territory to Russia.

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The beginning of the end

The Second Opium War seemed to be over, but advisers to the Xianfeng Emperor convinced him

to resist the outside powers. This once again set off military conflicts that the Qing lost. On

October 6, 1860, the British and French entered Beijing, where they looted and burned the

Emperor's Summer Palaces.

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The Second Opium War finally ended on October 18, 1860, and China had to submit to an even

harsher treaty. This war marked the beginning of the end of China's Qing Dynasty, which would

die out in 1911. China's humiliations sparked the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, a popular uprising

against foreign peoples and ideas, such as Christianity. The rebellion was quickly crushed by the

foreign powers. Like Europeans and Americans, Japan took advantage of China's weakness. It

was seen as an opportunity to grab territory on the Korean peninsula. These events set the stage

for conflicts in Asia that continue to play out today.

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Quiz

1 Read the sentence from the section "The First Opium War."

Stunned and humiliated, the Qing government asked for peace.

HOW does using the word "humiliated" affect the TONE of the sentence above?

(A) It showed that the Chinese had some hope for future battles to come.

(B) It creates a progressive tone of peace between the two sides.

(C) It shows that the Chinese were very obviously defeated by the British.

(D) It shows that the British did not put up a very good fight in this battle.

2 Read the sentence from the section "The Treaty of Nanking."

This treaty caused China to suffer economic and political hardship.

Which option is the best definition of the word "hardship" as used in the sentence?

(A) fulfillment

(B) bravery

(C) strength

(D) troubles

3 What is the MAIN reason why the author included the section "The beginning of the end"?

(A) to demonstrate the concept that opium is something worth fighting for several

times

(B) to show the two sides continued to fight until the Qing Dynasty began to fail

(C) to explain the current tensions between the world's countries over similar concepts

(D) to show how the two sides were eventually able to make a peace agreement and

stop fighting

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4 WHY does the author include the information about what opium is and what it is used for?

(A) to show why the Qing Dynasty may not have been accepting of its use

(B) to persuade the reader of its dangers so as to never use it

(C) to provide context on why the wars were so important to both sides

(D) to set up the main idea of the article concerning the use of opium

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