Opium Wars
Anglo-Chinese trade conflicts
The Opium Wars were two mid-19th-century conflicts between China and Western powers, primarily Britain, over trade and sovereignty.
Britain fought to continue selling Indian opium to China despite Chinese prohibition.
China's defeats forced it to cede Hong Kong and open ports to foreign trade—foundational humiliations in what Chinese historiography calls the "century of shame."
Last imperial Chinese regime
- Treaty of Nanking1842 Anglo-Chinese peace accord
- Canton SystemQing single-port trade restriction
- PekingChina's capital, old spelling
- GuangzhouSouthern Chinese trading hub
Vast colonial domain
- extraterritorialityLegal reach beyond borders
- gunboat diplomacyPersuasion through naval presence
- East India CompanyBritish colonial trading corporation
- sphere of influenceZone of dominant authority
concessions · indemnities · trading rights · most favored nation · Western imperialism · commercial exploitation · reparations · naval supremacy
Business in brewed leaves
- trade deficitImports exceed exports financially
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- balance of tradeNet value of exports
- British merchantsCommerce people from England
clipper ships · contraband · trade imbalance · monopoly · narcotics · addiction · commercial interests · triangular trade
UK naval military branch
- naval bombardmentWarships attacking coastal targets
- NemesisGreek deity of vengeance
- ironcladImpossible to dispute
- coastal fortsDefensive structures along shores
amphibious assault · occupation · blockade · siege · expeditionary force · artillery · troop landings · naval warfare
Qing Dynasty
Last imperial Chinese regime
- Treaty of Nanking1842 Anglo-Chinese peace accord
- Canton SystemQing single-port trade restriction
- PekingChina's capital, old spelling
British Empire
Vast colonial domain
- extraterritorialityLegal reach beyond borders
- gunboat diplomacyPersuasion through naval presence
- East India CompanyBritish colonial trading corporation
sphere of influence · concessions · indemnities · trading rights · most favored nation · Western imperialism · commercial exploitation · reparations · naval supremacy
tea trade
Business in brewed leaves
- trade deficitImports exceed exports financially
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- balance of tradeNet value of exports
British merchants · clipper ships · contraband · trade imbalance · monopoly · narcotics · addiction · commercial interests · triangular trade
Royal Navy
UK naval military branch
- naval bombardmentWarships attacking coastal targets
- NemesisGreek deity of vengeance
- ironcladImpossible to dispute
coastal forts · amphibious assault · occupation · blockade · siege · expeditionary force · artillery · troop landings · naval warfare
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, era
- 1800sVictorian era, Napoleon, Gilded Age, Queen Victoria, Industrial Revolution
- WarsWWI
- colonialismcolony, colonization, colonial rule, colonial powers, colonizer
- 1800s AsiaQing dynasty, Boxer Rebellion, British Raj, Emperor Meiji, Tokugawa Shogunate
- Asian Warfaresamurai, ninja, katana, shogun, bushido
Opium Warsdiplomatic resolution
Conflict ended through talks
peace treaty · Congress of Vienna · Treaty of Westphalia · arbitration · détente
Opium Warsdecolonization
Ending imperial control
national liberation · Bandung Conference · Non-Aligned Movement · Indian independence · self-determination
Opium WarsWar on Drugs
Government campaign against illegal substances
drug prohibition · narcotics enforcement · drug interdiction · harm reduction · public health initiatives