The Opium War:Watershed between Ancient and Modern China

Session 2

Table of ContentsI. Britain’s Efforts to Open China’s Door for FreeTrade before the Opium War Diplomatic action Opium trade Military forceII. The First Opium WarIII. The Second Opium WarIV. Acceleration of Imperialism in China after the Opium War V. The Consequences of the Opium WarVI. Deep Roots of the Opium WarVII. Discussion

III. Struggle between socialism, liberalism & bureaucratic capitalism from 1921 to 1949IV. Conclusion

I-1. London’s Efforts to Open China’s Door before the WarThe Macartney Mission in 1793

To acquire a place near the tea & silk-producing area

To negotiate a commercial treatyTo release abuses at CantonTo create a desire in China for British productsTo arrange diplomatic representation at BeijingTo Open Japan, Cochin China to British commerce

Amherst Mission in 1816Failure of the mission because of refusal to comply

to China’s ritual ceremonies

I-2. The Opium Trade Favorable trade imbalance to China

90% of East India Company’s shipment to China is gold and silver, and only 10% were commodities.

From 1781-1790, 16.4 million taels of silver flowed into China, and from 1800-1810, 26 million.

The opium trade Britain took a lead in opium trade from 1773

Favorable trade imbalance to Britain1800-1810: 26 million taels of silver to China1831-1833: 10 million taels of silver out of China

The Opium trade and China’s responseYoung men from rich families-

officials, merchants, soldiers, literati, women, servants, even monks, nuns and priests

If opium was not suppressed, China would have no soldiers to fight the enemy and no fund to support the army. 数十年后中原几无可以御敌之兵，且无可以充饷之银

Commissioner Lin Zexu took actions in 1839 and banned opium trade

I-3. Military Force-II. The First Opium War from 1839 to 1842

The abolish of the monopoly of East Indian Company in 1834 escalated conflict between Chinese government and British government. British government coordinated the China trade by appointment of Superintendent of Trade in China. Individual private business became a state affairs.

Lin’s determination & actions to stop opium tradeUnder pressure from Lin, Charles Elliot, Chief

Superintendent of Trade, agreed to submit Lin 21,306 chest of opium on behalf of the British government.

Lin’s letter to Queen Victoria in January 1840

Letter to Queen Victoria• ……

• I have heard that the smoking of opium is very strictly forbidden by your country; that is because the harm caused by opium is clearly understood. Since it is not permitted to do harm to your own country, then even less should you let it be passed on to the harm of other countries—how much less to China!

• Suppose there were people from another country who carried opium for sale to England and seduced your people into buying and smoking it; certainly your honorable ruler would deeply hate it and be bitterly aroused.• This letter was carried by Captain Warren in Jan.,

1840

Discussion

Would Great Britain change its policy to invade China through military force if Commissioner Lin would not confiscate English merchants’ opium?

Do you think that Queen Victoria would accept Lin’s argument against opium trade?

Watch the movie: The Opium War

The Immobile Empire: the first great collision of East & West - Alain Peyrefitte

“The pastoral world of mills driven by donkeys was gone, and the horse gave way to the steam engine.” Great Britain became the most powerful industrial county in the world. In this way:

“He who controls trade controls the world’s wealth, and therefore the world itself.”

– Lord Walter Raleigh to Elizabeth.

“Shortly after 1763 Lord Clive, flushed with his recent victories over the Mogul Empire and the French, proposed that he be sent to conquer China by armed force.”

Continue:“Every British citizen knew the words to the

anthem of that ambition: Rule, Britannia/Britannia rules the waves.” As rulers of the waves, eight million Britons were confident that they could speak as masters to three hundred million Chinese.”

“The fact was that the East was going to have to open its doors to the West, whose masters now proclaimed, asserting their own power and interests, that the world was on and that they intended to travel it and trade in it freely.”

II-2. Military Defeats

May 24, Elliot urged London to take action and Palmerston informed Elliot to dispatch an expeditionary army to China

June 1840, the British Expeditionary army arrived in China

The First Opium War from 1839-1842Movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R44wJZqy6W8

II-3. The Nanking Treaty in 1842An indemnity of $21 millionAbolish of the Canton trade systemOpening of five ports for trade & residence of English officials, merchants and their families

Concession of Hong Kong

“A great change in more than three thousand years of history” – Li Hongzhang

II-4. The Wangsha Treaty & Huangpu Treaty

The Wangsha Treaty with the US in July 184

The Huangpu Treaty with France in October 1844Extraterritoriality allowed foreigners to have

exempt from the jurisdiction of Chinese laws

The Most Favored Nation to allow all the foreign countries to share benefits and privileges from any treaties

The right to maintain churches and hospitals in the five port cities

III. The Second Opium War 1856-1860In an effort to expand their privileges in China,

Britain demanded the Qing authorities renegotiate the Treaty of Nanking (signed in 1842), citing their most favoured nation status. The British demands included opening all of China to British merchants, legalising the opium trade, exempting foreign imports from internal transit duties, suppression of piracy, regulation of the coolie trade, permission for a British ambassador to reside in Beijing and for the English-language version of all treaties to take precedence over the Chinese.

The Qing rejected the demand of Britain. An Anglo-French force invaded China from 1856-1860.

III-2. Treaties of TianjingBritain, France, Russia, and the U.S. would have

the right to establish diplomatic legations (small embassies) in Peking (a closed city at the time)

Ten more Chinese ports would be opened for foreign trade, including Hankou, and Nanjing

The right of all foreign vessels including commercial ships to navigate freely on the Yangtze River

The right of foreigners to travel in the internal regions of China, which had been formerly banned

China was to pay an indemnity to Britain and France in 8 million taels of silver each.

III-3. Treaty of AigunOn 28 May 1858, the separate Treaty of

Aigun was signed with Russia to revise the Chinese and Russian border as determined by the Nerchinsk Treaty in 1689. Russia gained the left bank of the Amur River, pushing the border back from the Argun River. The treaty gave Russia control over a non-freezing area on the Pacific coast, where Russia founded the city of Vladivostok in 1860.

瑷珲条约中中国丧失的领土

III-3. Yuan Ming Yuan Was Looted & Destroyed

IV. Acceleration of Imperialism in China after the Opium War

IV. Acceleration of Imperialism in China after the Opium War

The Sino-French War from 1883-1885China lost Vietnam to France

The Sino-Japanese War from 1894-1895China recognized the independence of Koreaceded Taiwan to JapanPay an indemnity of 263,176,701 taels of silver (about

150 million U.S.dollars )Offered most favored nation trade status and opening of Shashi, Chungking, Soochow and

Hangzhou.

China vs. 8 Powers in 1900 (the Boxer Rebellion)

IV-2. Acceleration of Imperialism in China after the Opium War

V. Consequences of the Opium WarPolitically, China became a semicolonial country

because of the loss of the three national rights: fixed tariff, extraterritoriality and the most favored nation

Militarily, foreign gunboats were allowed to navigate freely in Chinese inland waterways.

Economically, the fixed customs rates deprived China of a protective tariff, which damaged China’s self-sufficient economy.

Socially, the collapse of China’s agrarian economy led to caused social disturbances and rebellions.

Diplomatically, China took the first step in its long journey to membership of the international society

V-2. Self-sufficient Economy Disintegrated &Domestic Rebellions

The Taiping Rebellion broke out from 1850-1864.It ravaged 17 provinces, destroyed more than 600 cities, took

an estimated 20 million lives, it weakened the Qing rule significantly.

The Nian Rebellion from 1851-1868The Moslem Rebellion from 1855-1873

VI. Deep Roots of the ConfrontationConflict of the Chinese claims of universal

overlordship with the Western idea of national sovereignty.

Conflict between self-sufficient agrarian China and the expansive and industrial Britain.

Conflict between the Chinese tributary relationship with the Western system diplomatic intercourse.

Conflict between Smithsian idea of free trade and China’s contempt for trade

Questions

What are the consequences of opium trade in China?

What were Chinese rulers and elite' attitude to challenges from the West?

What were China's strategies to deal with challenges from the West?

Any other questions?

Thank you!

Questions?