General background on the Chinese government’s reaction to the British importation of opium, specifically Commissioner Lin’s role. It explains how the Commissioner initially tried to ban the import of opium and seized and destroyed tons of opium from British ships. It continues on to explain how this led to violence between the British and the Chinese and how the Chinese underestimated the naval strength of the British.
This website also provides background information on the outbreak of the Opium Wars. It specifically refers to the free market and how China’s policies restricting the trade of opium threatened Britain’s free trade in the Chinese market. It also discusses why the British population did not feel morally wrong in bringing opium to China. Furthermore, this site concisely describes the Treaty of Nanking.
A nice website that provides information on each of the Opium Wars including tactics, strategies and technologies that shaped the battles. It also covers the Second Opium War well.
This primary source document is a famous letter from Lin Zexu of the Qing Dynasty to Queen Victoria in England discussing the British decision to trade opium in China and the possible repercussions.
Sun Yat-sen is one of the most famous Chinese leaders of the 20th century. He is partly responsible for overthrowing the last Dynasty of China, the Qing. After thousands of years, the Dynastic Cycle was broken and Sun hoped to replace it with a representative government. The causes of the dynasty’s downfall and the role of Sun Yat-sen during and after is described here in this brief history.
CONCLUSION QUESTIONS 1. What did the British and other imperialist powers want from China? Why did the BEIC use opium?
2. What were the causes of the Opium Wars? What did China try to do to stop the opium trade?
3. What is a sphere of influence? What other effects did the Treaty of Nanking have on China? Why is it considered an “unequal treaty”?
4. How would you describe the tone of Lin Zexu's letter to Queen Victoria of Britain?
5. Was the Taiping Rebellion a rebellion or civil war in your opinion? What were the repercussions of this event?
6. What was Empress Cixi like as a person and a leader? How did she become the Empress Dowager?
7. Explain the goals and strategies of the Boxers. Why did they fail?
8. Assess the reasons for the downfall of the Qing Dynasty.