Depth Studies – A Level OCR China – 1839-1989
First Opium War 1839-1842
Long Term Causes
By the 1830s, Britain began to explore China as it grew as a major
European free trade power. Britain’s economic ways and trading
system clashed with the Chinese.
Britain had just won Napoleonic Wars – confident military
In the 1830s, the East India Company, having held control over the
Opium trade in India and Burma and issued licences to merchants,
was expanding rapidly.
o 1800 - 4500 chests
o 1838 - 40,000 chests
o Almost 900% increase from 1800s
The growth in Opium traded was not due to a Chinese demand, but
a British pursuit to pressure the Chinese into taking more Opium.
The money Britain received paid for the increase in tea imports from
China. If this was disrupted it would have affected Britain’s
balance of payments which it would not have tolerated.
China was suspicious of European expansionism.
Britain was aware of the Chinese military weakness in
comparison to their own.
Reform Act 1832 – merchants in parliament protecting their
interests
Slave Trade abolished 1807 – Britain paying back merchants – even
keener to maintain balance of payments
Short Term Causes
Growing imbalance in trade, silver stores drained. Before the
1830s the economic balance between the British and the Chinese
was equal, but after the 1830s China was paying out $18 million
silver.
The Chinese government was becoming aware of the disruptive
nature of Opium on their people. The lethargy and apathy the
Opium was causing in the workers was an issue.
Qing government seized the Opium stocks in Canton in 1839. It
was through here 90% of the Opium was distributed.
Chinese had previously declared Opium to be illegal, they had
never acted on the decree. Inaccurate translation from the Manchu
court between 1836 to 1838 – thought they were about to legalise
it, merchants were stockpiling.
Lin Zexu was appointed as special imperial Commissioner to
Canton to supervise the destruction of the Opium. He opposed the
Opium on social, economic, moral, and ethical grounds.
Lin even wrote a letter to Queen Victoria, asking her to stop the
Opium trade.
After they were made to leave Canton, Charles Elliot appealed to
the British government to intervene. Viscount Palmerston feared
, facing backlash from the British textile manufacturers so sent
gunboats to aid the British.
Key Events
1839
Lin Zexu is appointed commissioner by the emperor, with the task of
eradicating opium.
Chinese troops board British ships destroying the Opium stocks.
Elliot initially protests, Lin responds by quarantining British traders in Canton.
Elliot orders the British to hand over their opium and promises them
compensation from the British crown.
British and American dealers surrendered 20,283 chests Opium. The
stockpile was publicly destroyed on the beach outside of Guangzhou.
Lin demanded that all foreign merchants and Qing officials sign a new bond
promising not to deal in opium under penalty of death. Elliot ordered the
British to refuse as he saw it as unfair.
British sailors get drunk and beat a Chinese man to death. Elliot sanctions the
sailors and pays the dead Chinese man’s family compensation but refuses to
hand the British offenders to Lin Zexu.
Lin orders a ban on the sale of food to the British. Elliot orders all British ships
off the Chinese coast by 24th August
September - Shots fired between British ships and Chinese ships. The
Chinese were driven away and the British resumed trade with the local
villagers.
November - First Battle of Chuen-pi; 4 Chinese ships were destroyed and
both fleets withdrew.
1840
Emperor orders all foreigners to halt assistance to the British.
The first part of the British expeditionary force arrives and demands
compensation from Qing for destroyed opium. Qing rebuffed the demand.
British capture the Port of Dinghaii, however, by the beginning of 1841, only
1900 of the 3300 men who had originally occupied Dinghai were left, due to
an outbreak of disease.
1841
Second Battle of Chuen-pi won by the British. Qing forced upriver.
Convention of Chuen-pi between Qishan and Elliot, whose terms were that:
o $6 million in compensation for Britain.
o Canton to be fully opened to trade.
o Hong Kong Island to be ceded to Britain.
o The Wing government could collect taxes from Hong Kong.
o Britain to withdraw from the islands it had temporarily occupied.
This treaty was rejected by Palmerston who desired more concessions, and
by the emperor who felt too much had been conceded without his permission.
British captured the Bogue Forts.
The British attack Canton
British were paid to withdraw beyond Bogue forts.
, Henry Pottinger arrives to replace Elliot.
1st October - Dinghai port in Chussan re-captured by the British.
October - Capture of Ningpo.
1842
May - Battle of Chapu
Yangtze Expedition: British expedition sails up Yangtze and captures tax
barges, hitting Royal coffers very hard.
June - Shanghai falls.
July - British capture Zhenjiang in the battle of Chinkiang, and cut off the
Grand Canal, impacting transportation of grain..
29th August - Signing the Treaty of Nanking.
o End of First Opium War.
Treaty of Bogue signed.
Consequences
Treaty of Nanjing
There were 12 conditions to the Treaty of Nanjing:
1. Lasting peace.
2. The ports of Canton, Amoy, Fuchau, Ningpo, and Shanghai to be
opened to British trade and residence.
3. Hong Kong ceded to Britain – ‘in perpetuity’
4. Six million dollars compensation for the opium which was delivered up
as ransom.
5. Three million dollars for the debts due to the British merchants.
6. Twelve million for the expenses incurred in the expedition sent out to
obtain redress for the violent and unjust proceedings of the Chinese
high authorities.
7. The entire amount of $21,000,000 to be paid before December 31,
1845.
8. All prisoners of war are to be immediately released by the Chinese.
9. The emperor was to grant full and entire amnesty to those of his
subjects who had aided the British.
10. A regular and fair tariff of export and import custom and other dues
to be established at the open ports, and a transit duty to be levied in
addition which will give goods a free conveyance to all places in
China.
11. Official correspondence to be hereafter conducted on terms of
equality according to the payments of money.
12. Conditions for restoring the places held by British troops to be
according to the payments of money.
Effect of the Treaty of Nanjing
Loss of sovereignty, first occurrence of government being dominated by foreign
powers.
The British occupied Hong Kong for 155 years.
The payment conditions of the Treaty drained the Chinese treasury and left the
Dynasty fiscally unstable.
All western powers were upset by the Treaty port condition.
