What Were The Main Sources Of Conflict Between China And The Western Powers During The 1830s And 1840s?
Posted by China Sourcing CommentatorJul 22
Does anyone know what things (such as treaties etc.) triggered the Sino-western conflict during the 1830s and 40s? Thanks everyone!
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It was to do with trade.European countries (particularly Britain) got huge amounts of tea and porcelain from China. However, the Chinese refused to trade for these goods, and would only accept cash for them.Most money at this time was in the form of silver coins, and the trade with China eventually caused a shortage of hard currency in the west, particularly for Britain.This, in turn, was having a detrimental effect on the economy.
So,Britain needed a commodity that the Chinese would accept in return for porcelain and tea.The answer was opium, produced in India.Soon, Chinese merchants were happily trading tea and porcelain for opium.However,opium is highly addictive and has a very deleterious effect on those who become addicted.Before long,the Chinese Emperor recognized the negative impact of opium imports on the Chinese people and economy,and banned it,executing those Chinese merchants caught dealing in it, and taking action against the British community in the trading port of Canton (November 1839).
Britain thus began the First Opium War (1840-42) to force China to accept opium imports, and to force China to open up to foreign trade on a wider scale.
china refused to part with its tea, so the rest of the world turned china into a nation of opium addicts to seize the tea anyway.