背景

背景

規模

規模

結果

開始

結果

開始

In the late eighteenth century, following the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire faced the challenge of saturating domestic and colonial markets.

To avoid economic decline, the country sought new markets and sources of income.

Moreover, China was a closed country, permitting trade through only one port—Guangzhou. Foreigners were strictly prohibited from leaving the confines of the port area and even from learning the Chinese language.

China demanded payment for its exported goods exclusively in gold and silver and restricted the import of foreign goods.

Then the English capitalists turned their attention to the immensely wealthy country of China, which traded in silk, porcelain, tea, and works of art.

Opium was produced in India under the control of the British East India Company and was smuggled into China despite the prohibition.

The aristocracy and Chinese officials were extensively and deeply involved in corrupt schemes

Opium was primarily consumed by the lower classes, including peasants, fishermen, and artisans, who used it to relieve pain, reduce stress, and diminish feelings of hunger and fatigue.

By the end of the 18th century, Chinese authorities recognized the dangers of widespread addiction and began actively combating opium dependence by confiscating and burning smuggled shipments of the drug

"Babysitter for beggar children"

This drawing from an 1849 issue of the British humor magazine Punch examines a common practice of the time - the widespread use and abuse of opium and its derivatives to alleviate illness and even sedate children.

sent ambassadors to London for decades, asking the British authorities to stop smuggling opium into the country

Stacking room, opium factory in Patna, India
"The Truth About Smoking Opium", 1882

Satirical caricature of lord kneeling before the emperor and presenting his "gifts." Provided by the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University

Anglo-French landing at guangzhou in December 1857,
19th century European drawing

"Commissioner Lin and the eradication of opium in 1839"
Chinese artist

By the beginning of the war, there were about 100 million opium smokers in China, representing more than 10 percent of the country's total population

A ship en route from Calcutta to Japan allegedly deviated from its course due to bad weather and was forced to navigate

along the coast of China from one "closed" port to another.

Despite the ban from Beijing and protests from local authorities, the expedition accomplished its mission. It surveyed the ports of Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai, and then visited Taiwan.

ports were opened for trade by foreign powers

China was forced to open its ports to trade by foreign powers, resulting in a shortfall in tax and other revenues, as well as a strong influence of Western and Japanese foreign forces on the Chinese economy.

All restrictions on the opium trade were abolished and a fixed rate on the opium trade was established

and other territories

China lost significant territories, including Hong Kong and the Jiama Islands, and was forced to grant concessions (the right to free trade, use of territory, and control of customs duties) to foreign powers within its territory

China lost Hong Kong and other lands as far back as 1997

China was obliged to pay huge reparations to Britain.

This included losses to British traders, all confiscated and destroyed opium, and the additional cost to the British government of conducting the war. The total sum amounted to 21 million silver dollars, the payments were made over several years and caused significant financial and economic problems for China.

and the most important thing is