Chinese Arrogance Of The British Empire

At its peak, the British Empire was one of the most widespread and influential forces in the world. It sponsored the ideology of free and open trade in all corners of its far-reaching empire, after it became the norm in the European continent. In contrast, in the Far East, China, a withstanding and ancient empire, subsidized a more conservative approach to trade and connections with foreign nations. China’s traditionally reclusive foreign policy was the source of a long history of economic and political tension between China and Britain because of the seeming arrogance of the Chinese. Another source of hostility came from China’s hindering trading procedures that created an economic imbalance for Britain. Finally, because of the implementation
I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures. This then is my answer to your request to appoint a representative at my Court…” ("Emperor Qian Long's Letter to King George III, 1793"
In his letter, the emperor continually refers to the British traders as “barbarians”, and this only further accentuates the sense of arrogance that the British already perceive from the Chinese. The “closed door” foreign policy the Chinese abided by was the root of a great deal of strain between Britain, and these tensions were only furthered by the implementation of the Canton trading
The traders who sailed across the world from Britain complained about the Qing government’s monopolistic restrictions and sought equal treatment for themselves; as a result, they became discontent with circumstances in China. The trading system was initially created by the Qing dynasty in the 18th to regulate trade with foreigners (Perdue). The organization of trade restricted British and other foreign traders to the port city of Canton, in which they were only permitted to trade through the authorized merchant guild known as the Hong merchants (Karsh 7). The process was slow and arduous and created a large imbalance of trade for the British: “British merchants blamed the restrictions of the Canton trade for the failure to export enough goods to China to balance their imports of tea and porcelain” (Perdue). In consequence of this unfavourable balance of trade caused by strict Qing regulations, Britain turned to the trade of opium, based on the demand in the Chinese markets, to equalize the exchange. The opium trade was incredibly lucrative and the British were able to capitalize on the opium consuming population in China to flood the market with the narcotic. Britain began exporting thousands of chests full of opium to China to