Opium Wars

In the 18th century British merchants began to transport opium from India to China. Since China was a very self-sufficient country, the British needed an imported good to trade with China and opium was the answer. When China began importing opium from the British, people became extremely addicted and the Chinese government found this to be a problem. The government tried to end the opium trade and the emperor appointed Lin Tse-hsu as Imperial commissioner for an anti-opium campaign. In 1839 Lin Tse-hu arrived to the port Canton, and he confiscated and destroyed more than 20,000 chests of opium. The British merchants needed help from their government and in 1840, sixteen British Warships arrived in Hongkong and sailed to the mouth of the Pei Ho river. Next year they attacked the walled city of Canton. The local militia and the Imperial troops were powerless against the navy guns. In 1842 the British received reinforcements and they seized several cities including Shanghai and Nanking.

Opium Poppy

The Opium Addiction

When the British brought opium to China, they promoted the great medical benefits of the drug. Opium can cure diarrhea, colds, alcoholism, and can relieve pain; however, the drug is extremely addictive. These benefits of opium appealed to the people of China. Once the opium was put on the market, many people became severely addicted. By 1890, it was estimated that 10% of China's large population smoked opium. Chinese opium dens were places that many opium smokers could purchase and smoke opium recreationaly. These dens first originated in China as opium became popular, but as many Chinese immigrated to the United States, these opium dens became a part of many American Chinatowns. Since opium was legal in the United States until 1875, the opium dens caused opium addictins among Americans.

Sources/Links

-http://www.druglibrary.org/Schaffer/heroin/opiwar1.htm

-http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0836734.html

-http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CHING/OPIUM.HTM

-htp://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu (image)

-htp://class.csueastbay.edu (image)

-htp://www.heroin.org (image)