The First Opium War, also known as the First Anglo-Chinese War, was a conflict between the British East India Company and the Qing Government of China. The war resulted in a decisive British victory, which gave them Hong Kong, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing.
Fast Facts:
- Date: 1839-1842
- British Forces: 50,000
- Chinese Forces: 2,000,000
- British Commander: Charles Elliot and Anthony Blaxland Stransham
- Chinese Commander: Lin Zexu and Daoguang Emperor
- Led directly to the Second Opium War, Taiping Rebellion, and Boxer Rebellion
- Considered by many to be the birth of Modern China
- During the Qing Dynasty in China
Treaty of Nanking
Marking the end of the First Opium War, the Treaty of Nanking was signed aboard the British warship, the HMS Cornwallis by representatives from both sides of the conflict. The Treaty was signed on August 29, 1842. It was later ratified by Queen Victoria ten months after the initial drafting. As a perpetuity, China forfeit Hong Hong to the Queen, which established a port for the British to import/export Chinese goods. Opium trade was not rectified in the Treaty of Nanking, which lead to the Second Opium War to which the conclusion saw a legalization of opium trade.
First Opium War Background and Causes
First Opium War Central Figures
First Opium War Timeline
1729: The Qing government bans opium in China
1781: British merchants begin large scale opium import from India
1821-1837: British merchants increase opium import 5-fold, trying to reverse trade imbalance with China
May 1839: Lin Zexu forces Charles Elliot to forfeit all stocks of opium for destruction
July 1839: British sailors destroy Kowloon temple and kill a Chinese man. British officials exercise "extraterritoriality"
August 1839: The British take control of Hong Kong
August 1839: Charles Elliot establishes a blockade of the Pearl River to prevent British merchant ships from reaching the mainland
November 1839: A British ship, the Royal Saxon, sails for the mainland at Guangzhou. Warning shots fired. Qing claims victory and Eliot reports success in defending the 29 ships off the island of Chuenpeh
June 1840: An expeditionary force comprised of British Navy, Marines, and ships from the British East India Company, sail to Kwangtung from Singapore
June 1840: James Bremer, issues a demand to the Qing government for compensation of interrupted trade and is refused
June 1840: The British attack and capture Xiamen
January 1841: The British capture the Bogue Forts (important entrance to the Pearl River)
January 1841: The British defeat the Chinese at Ningbo
1842: The British occupy the mouth of the Yangtze
1842: Shanghai is occupied without a fight
August 1842: The Qing government is forced to sign the first Unequal Treaty and Treaty of Nanjing, ending the First Opium War
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