War1839 CE – 1860 CEEast Asia

Opium Wars

Two wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860) fought by Britain (and France in the second) against Qing China to force open Chinese markets and protect the profitable opium trade, resulting in "unequal treaties" and beginning China's "Century of Humiliation."

Key Figures
Lin ZexuEmperor DaoguangLord PalmerstonHenry PottingerLord Elgin

Preceding Causes

China's Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu's confiscation and destruction of 20,000 chests of British opium at Guangzhou in 1839; British refusal to halt the lucrative trade; and China's restrictive Canton System limiting foreign trade to a single port.

Empire1583 CE

British Empire

At its peak in the early 20th century, the British Empire controlled roughly a quarter of the world's land surface and population, making it the largest empire in history by territory.

Historical Consequences

Hong Kong Island ceded to Britain (Treaty of Nanking, 1842); Kowloon ceded (Convention of Peking, 1860); treaty ports opened across China; extraterritoriality granted to foreigners; Qing Dynasty severely weakened, contributing to the Taiping Rebellion and ultimately the fall of imperial China.

Treaty1842 CE

Treaty of Nanking

The first of the "unequal treaties" ending the First Opium War, forcing China to cede Hong Kong Island to Britain, open five treaty ports to foreign trade, and pay a large indemnity — beginning what Chinese historians call the "Century of Humiliation."

Cause-Effect Graph

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