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Period: 500 to
Chinese Opium Trade
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501
Opium thebaicum
Opium from the Egyptian fields at Thebes, is first introduced to China by Arab traders. This marks the first signs of opium reaching the mainland of China through ships and even the Silk route. These Arab traders bartered for Chinese goods and gave Opium to the Chinese in return. -
Jan 1, 1500
Smoking of Opium
The Portuguese start the smoking of opium. This is transffered to the mainland of China when the traders were sailing the East China Sea. The effects produced were instantaneous, but the Chinese initally rejected this notion as they thought it was barabric. -
Portguese Opium Directed into China
The Portuguese traders continue to supply opium through China. However, these traders chose a different trade route to transport the opium drug. They started using Macao to send the Indian Opium for a land route. -
Opium becomes Main Commodity
o From 1637 the British trade's was mainly used through the trading of Opium for Chinese goods. These goods included tea, silk, porcelain, etc. The British trade was helped by the fact that the Chinese people were slowly becoming more used to using opium as a drug. -
The Dutch introduce the practice of smoking opium
The Dutch traders started produce opium in the northeastern part of India and channeled this opium to China and other Southeast Asia islands. While trading the opium for goods, the Dutch start to smoke the opium. They introduce the habit to the Chinese, through the use of the tobacco pipe. -
Chinese emperor, Yung Cheng, issues an edict prohibiting the smoking of opium
Yung Cheng was the fourth Kangxi Emperor and was the first of the Chinese line-of-command to officially proclaim that opium is illegal. This might have been the first edict in the world to restrain from the use opium. He said that the use of opium for medicinal uses was okay though. -
The British East India Company assumes control of Bengal and Bihar, opium-growing districts of India.
The British through their British East India Company take control of some Northeastern parts of India from the Dutch and continue to grow opium in these states. The also opened up their biggest trading port in Calcutta that directly delivered the drugs to China. This enabled the British to move the opium quicker as they were going through sea routes instead of the land. -
The British East India Company's import of opium to China reaches a staggering two thousand chests of opium per year.
o Almost twenty years after opening their major port in Calcutta, the British reach an all-time high for opium transported and sold to the Chinese. In this specific year the British totaled around 2000 chests of opium. This represented the high point of the opium trade from the British to China. -
The import of opium into China becomes a contraband trade.
o This is when opium becomes illegal in all parts of China. The fact that it became known as contraband meant that people were still getting it inside the country, illegally. The British wanted silver in return for the trading and had to smuggle that back out just as they had smuggled the opium in. -
China's emperor, Kia King, bans opium completely, making trade and poppy cultivation illegal.
There had been a couple of poppy farms that were attempting to grow the poppy plant. The government came in and shut the few farms down. The also started to become more serious in respect of controlling opium addiction. -
Lin Tse-Hsu appointed imperial Chinese commissioner.
The Chinese government assigns Lin Tse-Hsu in charge of suppressing the opium traffic. He orders all foreign traders to surrender their opium. In response, the British send expeditionary warships to the coast of China, beginning The First Opium War. -
The Chinese are defeated by the British in the First Opium War.
The war was one-sided from the beginning as the British had various advantages. The main was their naval force that completely ousted any rebellion that the Chinese had. Along with paying a large indemnity, Hong Kong was ceded to the British. -
The Treaty of Nanking between the Queen of Great Britain and the Emperor of China.
This is the peace treaty that the Chinese were forced to sign after the got demolished in the First Opium War. The treaty was unfair in the sense that they required China to open five new ports and allow European nations to openly trade with the Chinese people, something the people nor the government was in favor of. -
The British and French renew their hostilities against China in the Second Opium War.
After this China rebelled again and this time the French and British put down the Chinese with the Second Opium War. In the aftermath of the struggle, China is forced to pay another large indemnity. Then the British land their largest blow that China is forced to agree to; the importation of opium is legalized. -
The Chinese convince the British to dismantle the India-China opium trade.
o After 150 years of failed attempts to rid China of opium, the British back off and leave China alone. This is after months and months of negotiating and explaining the Chinese people position in this fight. The Chinese government succeeds in freeing themselves from this horrible drug that had tormented its people for centuries.
