The Opium Wars
The Opium Wars were really not about Opium. Instead, they were a result of Western (especially British) desires to further their economic interests in China. In addition to rigid restrictions under the Canton System of trade, the British suffered from a negative trade deficit with China. Therefore, I feel that Opium was only a symptom of a much larger problem, that problem being that the Westerners wanted a virtually unrestricted trading environment that served their interests.The Chinese had little use for Western goods for as they saw it, China was the "Middle Kingdom", the center of everything civilized. The opposite was true of Westerners. Westerners, especially the British, loved tea. In addition to tea, they also purchased " large quantities of silk and rhubarb" (Hsu, 150) along with beautiful Chinese porcelain. This deficit was reduced once the sale of the Indian Patna and Malwa Opium commenced around 1820. Even though opium trade was forbidden by imperial decree, the Opium trade continued and flourished, especially along China's South Coast. Addiction was so bad by the 1830s that most men u
The merchants were not allowed to learn Chinese (God forbid they would be able to communicate with the locals and pollute their minds with ideas of a barbarian world outside of the culturally superior China). The Chinese never though that Westerners would want to be treated in a manner that put them on an equal footing with China. The Chinese lost the war, for they didn't really think that the British were all that capable. Commissioner, Lin Zexu was sent to Guanhzhou. Instead, they revolved around Western resentment of China's superioirty complex and unwillingness to compromise and treat them as equals. The number of people addicted during that decade is estimated to be around 12 million. As a result of the Opium Wars and further conflicts between the Chinese and the West, the unequal treaties were created, which served the best interests of the Western traders and forced the Chinese to accept the West in their country. If Opium was so "evil" and "bad", why were there so many people in government and military ranks addicted to it? The Chinese would have turned a blind eye to the vice had it not been for the fact that it was allowing outsiders to profit. The British became angry when 20, 000 chests of their Opium were destoryed. Following several failed anti-opium campaigns, the Ching Dynasty adopted drastic prohibitory laws against the opium trade. Upon his arrival, he not only confiscated opium but he also detained foreigners in Guangzhou. Instead, they felt as if they were doing the Westerners a favor by allowing them to trade, for China was the center of all civilization and it was completely understandable for barbaric outsiders to want to have contact with the pinnacle of civilization. In addition, in the eyes of Chinese officals, trade with the China was not a right but a privilege that could be revoked at any time. Soon thereafter, war ensued between the British and the Chinese. Foreign merchants were forbidden from bringing their wives and families to Canton.
Common topics in this essay:
China Westerners,
Lin Zexu,
Chesneaus Jean,
Coast Addiction,
China Instead,
Opium Instead,
Canton System,
Westerners Westerners,
Malwa Opium,
Chinese God,
opium trade,
opium wars,
wars opium instead,
foreign merchants,
trade deficit,
chinese justice,
especially british,
rigid restrictions,
wars opium,
confiscated opium,
justice system,
opium wars opium,
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Acceptance Essays
