How Did The Opium War In 19th Century China

What happens when two nationalistic empires with radically different cultures clash, each believing themselves to be in the right? This was the case in 19th century China. The British empire, a powerful, technologically advanced civilization, came against the Chinese empire, whose semi-isolationist policy was hindering British profit. The Opium Wars were dramatic conflicts in China that resulted in greatly increased freedom of foreign trade and the legalization of opium.

Before the First Opium War, foreign trade proceeded only under strict Chinese regulations. Foreigners were only allowed to trade at Canton, and only between October and May. While they were at Canton, foreigners had to live in "factories", which they rented from Chinese
The British refused to sign the bonds and were forced to withdraw to Macao.

On July 12 of 1839 Chinese sailors arrested the British comprador of Carnatic. As a result, thirty sailors went on shore to avenge the insult. Once there they became drunk and began fighting with the locals, beating a man to death (Hanes 61).

Enraged, Lin demanded that Elliot hand the culprits over. Elliot refused, and instead tried the five likeliest culprits himself and found them guilty of rioting. The guilty sailors were sentenced to several years hard labor in Britain. In retaliation, Lin poisoned water sources and forbid all sale of food and water to British citizens on pain of death (Hanes 62).

Despite this, the British had been able to purchase supplies at Kowloon. The Chinese, however, refused to let the boats carrying the supplies pass. Elliot gave them half an hour to reconsider. When the time was up and nothing had changed, he gave the order to open fire. The Chinese were beaten badly by the British (Doblin
When they hear of it, however, a cabinet meeting agreed to send an expeditionary force to China. This force consisted of 48 ships and 4,000 troops, it was led by George Eliot, a cousin of captain Charles Elliot (Brown 36).

The fleet had instructions to blockade the Pearl River, occupy the Zhoushan Archipelago, go north to Tientsin and "intimidate the Chinese government into opening ports, accepting a treaty tariff, paying for the opium confiscated [and surrendering several islands]" (History of Modern China Series 146).

When news of the approaching British forces reached the empire he said: "What can they do if we quietly wait on the defensive and watch their movements?" (Wei 6). Lin Tseh-su, meanwhile, prepared for the war by engaging 5,000 men, making a blockade across the Bogue, setting up over 200 guns along the Bogue, hiring sixty boats, preparing twenty fire ships, and training his men on an old foreign ship (Wei 6).

In June of 1840, the British expeditionary force assembled off Macao (Lovell 367). On June 9th, 1840 a blockade of Canton was declared and the First Opium War officially began (Chang