The First Opium War

When the Pontiacs war came to an end, the British found that they had to do much more in order to fulfill the needs of the French Canadians. As had been mentioned earlier, there are those Canadians who had close relations with the French at the time that the latter had seceded and left the land in the jurisdiction of the British. In order to satisfy this population, the British came up with the Quebec act of 1774. This document contained among other things, the parts of the French civil law that would remain place. Additionally, the document allowed for the extension of Quebec’s boundaries, which would now extend to the south of the Ohio River.

This caused China to suffer culturally and economically on a global scale. However the people did not always follow the laws of the government. Moas government was against drugs such as opium however when the officials were not around, villagers could be seen taking to their old habit without a thought. Ma takes in the scene of a village of growers in the distance “After harvesting their crops they spend their time attacking anyone who happens to pass by.”(12)

Basically Bernard is implying that the cause of the opium war with china was because

The country faced increasing pressure from foreign powers, particularly Britain, to open up its markets and allow free trade. The second source, a speech by Chinese Commissioner Lin Zexu, reflects this change in attitude towards foreign trade. Lin Zexu condemned the opium trade, which was rampant in China, and accused the British of profiting off China’s wealth, claiming “wealth of China is used to profit the barbarians. ”(Lin's Letter). He argued that the British had no regard for injuring others in their quest for profit, which was a direct threat to China's sovereignty and economic development(Lin's

The chinese emperor became concerned something had to be done. A thousand tons of opium was confiscated and destroyed, the Chinese government saw opium as being a poison to society. In 1810 the Emperor issued a decree denouncing the use and trade of opium stating that “Opium is a poison, undermining our good customs and morality. Its use is prohibited by law. Indeed, he flouts the law!

Another major consequence of the Opium Wars and ensuing trade that can be observed in the lives of the Chinese-Americans of The Joy Luck Club is the consumption of the opium itself and how over time it became integrated into Chinese culture. How Opium Made the World Go Round mentions that at first, opium consumption wasn’t a big deal because it was too expensive for recreational use, only being available for the rich. However, in 1818 a cheaper manufacturing process was discovered and by 1839 enough opium for eighteen million Chinese consumers was being imported (Pomeranz 102). Over time, more and more Chinese citizens began to use opium until it became commonplace in Chinese restaurants and by 1900 over forty million were addicted to the

The emperor appointed Lin Zexu as his imperial commissioner, ordering him to go to Guangzhou where the opium trade originates and deliver the emperor’s determination of forbidding opium. Thus, Lin Zexu ordered to close all opium houses and put opium dealers into prison. Moreover, he ordered to arrest corrupted imperial officials and blockade the British chamber of commerce. The very famous event “Destroying Opium at Humen Beach” happened right after these severe orders. Lin Zexu even expelled all British men and women after destroying opium stocks.

As such, even when they were mobilised to fight the British, they were still very much addicted to the drug. The irony of the very drug China is fighting against would be the one that is weakening China’s resistance in terms of its army. However, in the film, everyone has miraculously recovered from the addiction in a short time and are fighting to the best of their ability. This might also be the film’s intention of advocating the strong China image despite its hard times.

The Chinese were first introduced to opium, a drug cultivated from poppy flowers, in the 7th century by Arabian or Turkish traders. It was used medicinally to relieve pain and other minor medical problems up until it was discovered that by mixing opium with tobacco, it could be ingested recreationally. As more Chinese citizens became addicted to opium, the demand increased which created so many problems that the Emperor prohibited the sale of opium in China. Because opium not being delivered to China by any other empire, because of the strict bans, the British East India Company saw an opportunity that could be exploited. Prior to the high demand for opium, Britain had unequal trade with China because the British demand for porcelain and other Chinese goods more than the Chinese wanted anything being exported from Britain.

Eventually, if they keep consuming that product, they will want to keep having it, so they will waste more time and money on that product that they want to keep using. This will drain the sliver out of China and go back to the previous holders of it. The British would formally take advantage of their weakness and keep collecting opium to sell to China. The Mafia was similar since they abuse their extortion by making civilians think they need to pay in order to be safe and happy. They both went against their rights and pursue to just get what they wanted.

Considering to the fact that the Americans and French extricated extra concessions since the marking of the Treaty of Nanking, including provisions about renegotiation following twelve years, Great Britain demanded practicing its most-supported country statu" in the year 1854. That time, the British requested that China open every one of its ports to outside exchange, legitimize the importation of opium from British belonging in Burma and India, absolve British merchandise from all import obligations, and license the foundation of a full government office in Peking. For a long time, Qing court authorities slowed down, attempting to “buy“ the time. On the other hand, occasions used up their control when on October 8, 1856 authorities boarded the Chinese-enlisted, however Hong Kong-based trader vessel Arrow, which they associated with contribution in both carrying and theft. The British dealership authorities regularly contended that as a remote vessel the Arrow 's exercises did not fall under Chinese lawful purview, and that in this manner the mariners who were captured ought to be discharged under the extraterritoriality condition of the Treaty of Nanking.

The high demand of tea in England in the 17th century and business restrictions imposed by China, which was the main source of tea then forced business people to engage in a long business chain to survive in the business. China required tea to be bought using silver. For foreign business people to get silver, they had to sell an item in China and get paid using Silver. England business people involved in the tea business engaged in opium business to ensure they got silver. They would buy opium in India, transport and sell it in China to obtain Silver, buy tea using the Silver, and transport to sell it to England.

However, in 1368, first emperor Zhu Yuanzhang declared a national ban on overseas trade and outlawed nonofficial voyages abroad, due in part to the endemic pirate attacks along the coast. It was also a result of an attempt to control the coastal areas, extend institutional control from the center, and defend the Ming regime from subversion by those who contested the legitimacy of Ming rule. This policy essentially allowed trade only to foreign-tribute missions, and required extensive documents to distinguish legitimate trade from piracy. The tribute-trade system itself was a net loss for China, such that from 1403 to 1473, China had a deficit of more than twenty-five million taels of silver, which was the equivalent of seven years of national income.

China was entangled in the two Opium Wars that left them helpless. The first Opium War ended by forcing the Chinese to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, an unequal treaty which stated that Chinese were to open five ports to British trade, establish fair and regular tariff, and cede Hong Kong to the British (Cohen, 252). The Qing Empire was still not satisfied with the European expansion into their country, which led to the second Opium War. This war ended with “complete defeat of Qing” (Lu 9/21) it consumed more treaties, and more ports for foreign trade. China became powerless and were forced to allow western expansion.

By being able to take action in order to maintain the somewhat peaceful situation that they once had before this entire incident, for example, like what Roblin had stated, the Daoguang Emperor appointed Imperial Commissioner Lin Ze-xu in order to fix the opium problem by institution laws that banned opium throughout China. Lin Ze-xu was also able to commit himself to his work, even though this may have hurt his religious beliefs, such as the idea that he had “wrote a poem, apologizing to the sea gods for the pollution” (Roblin). But even though China was able to improve itself through small things, such as what was stated beforehand, the political situations between the Chinese and British that were affected by the Opium War were negatively affected overall. Roblin and Goldfinger both declared that China’s and Britain’s governments were opposed to each other people of misunderstandings, such as the disposals of the opium, the holding of the British merchants, and