China: The Asian Civilization - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 233

enclaves in Chinese cities. No less humiliating, after a series of wars with the West, the
Chinese were forced to cede control over their customs duties and their ports.
THE OPIUM WARS
Signposts along the Manchu march to oblivion mark a series of wars and rebellions. Like
most wars, the First Opium War turned on several issues. The British East India Com-
pany, seeking profit in the China trade, did a brisk business in silk, tea, and porcelain. The
Chinese had no interest in buying British goods and demanded payment in gold and silver,
resulting in a serious trade imbalance. The East India Company reversed the flow of gold
and silver by selling opium (grown in Bengal, India) to China. As addiction spiraled, so did
the sale of opium. In 1729 about 200 chests of British opium were on sale in China. In 1767
the figure was 1,000 chests, and in 1820 it was more than 10,000. For the Chinese, opium
was more than a “recreational drug.” It was used by workers to sustain their grueling labor.
The word “coolie” means bitter work. As opium money changed hands, Chinese officials
became part of the opium network, taking bribes for facilitating opium sales. Worse, opium
addiction spread to soldiers in the imperial army. [198]
Attempting to staunch the flow of opium, in 1839 Chinese officials seized a British-
owned opium warehouse in Canton. Tempers flared even more when drunken British sail-
ors killed a Chinese person and British authorities refused to hand them over for trial. War
broke out, but Chinese guns and warships were no match for British men of war. Tempor-
ary peace came with the Treaty of Nanking (1842). Under its terms, China paid a large in-
demnity (thereby admitting wrongdoing) and gave Britain the right to unrestricted trade in
five ports and British citizens the right to be tried in British courts. As further indemnity,
the island of Hong Kong was given to Britain. And opium was now a legal substance to be
imported and sold without restriction.
The Second Opium War (1856-1860) flared over a series of incidents involving
trade, treatment of foreign citizens, and what was now commonly called extra-territorial-
ity—exempting foreigners in designated enclaves from Chinese law. In 1860 Britain and
France sent troops into Peking, forced the emperor to flee, and burned the summer palace
on the outskirts of the capital.
THE TAIPING REBELLION
As official corruption grew, as lack of import revenue forced the government to cut back
on expenditures, and as the literate classes felt the sting of national humiliation, rebellions
spread. The most horrific was the Taiping Rebellion (1860-1864). Its leader proclaimed a
new era of social justice and heavenly peace, and in the three-way fighting among govern-
ment troops, mercenaries hired by merchants and landlords, and the Taiping rebels, more