It was in 1839 when England and China went to war. The British were upset because the Chinese authorities closed its drug trafficking racket and shut down the country’s dope. The Qing Dynasty which was established by the Manchurians back in 1644, made the borders of China bigger and even reached Taiwan, Tibet, and Uighur Empire. However the Qing Dynasty refused the Western ambassadors because they could not accept the Qing Dynasty as its superior. Foreigners and trade ships were not allowed to enter China except in Canton. Foreigners could trade their goods in Guangzhou in exchange for silver (Lovell 2012). The British worked with the East India Company. It gave the company a monopoly in China.
In the mid 1700s, the British started to trade opium which they have grown in India. This was in exchange for silver since the British had limited supply of silver. Opium is an addictive drug which is now referred to as heroin. It was not legal in England but in China, it was used as a traditional medicine. However, using it for recreational purposes was not legal as well. It started to change when the British shipped tons of opium to China. Since many Chinese officials were able to get something from it, they allowed such practice. Even Americans joined in the transport of narcotics. The demand and consumption of opium in China increased exponentially. However, the Daoguang Emperor was alarmed because the number of drug addicts in the country was too much. It was also concerned because of the amount of silver that left the country. Because of this, conflict started. In 1839, the new Imperial Commissioner Lin Zezu passed laws that banned opium in the country. 1700 dealers were arrested. All ships that transported Opium were destroyed. This totalled to 2.6 million pounds of opium that were just thrown into the waters. The British got angry. Though the government promised for compensation because of the lost drugs, this did not solve it. So the war began.
The Taiping Rebellion is considered as one of the signs of China’s awakening. It triggered the rise of a dynasty for the people rather than for the conquerors. China was actually starting to stray away from its tradition. Then the Taipings increased the rift that occurred between modern China and their ancestors. The truth was Taipings have been existing in China as long as the Emperors but the Taipings were the successful ones left in the country. The impact of the rebellion was so huge that it even completed imperial attention back then. It was not only the elite Chinese who noticed the Taiping Rebellion but also the foreigners.
England and Japan were waiting so they can compete with China. The Taiping Rebellion was the beginning of the country. It was in the 17th and 18th century when the Chinese culture started to change and differ from its traditional beliefs. Christian doctrine was the center of Taiping ideology. The Chinese started to adapt the thinking of the Western nations. This resulted to the rebirth of the Chinese’ traditional thinking. Taiping Rebellion used Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist ideas in order to create its tenets. In the middle of the 19th century, disaster like droughts, floods and famines were experienced in China. It was said that neglect from the Manchu government was to be blamed but still did not give any relief or help to the people. When the Manchus lost against the English back in the Opium war, the tensions increased. Those who were pro-Chinese were against Manchu particularly those who were living in the South. The Manchus were blamed for all the problems that were being experienced in China. However, it gained its power after Ming. They called for a rebellion that even the Ming Dynasty could not control. After that, the Machus gained control over Peking in 1644. The Opium war had an impact on the Ching Dynasty. The English had so much power that they could ignore the emperor. This was a big blow to the esteem of the Chinese.
Reference:
Lovell, Julia. (2012). Opium Wars from both sides now. History Today. Vol 62 Issue 2. Retrieved from http://www.historytoday.com/julia-lovell/opium-wars-both-sides-now
