China: Opium War & Boxer Rebellion
By: Autumn O'Shields
Opium
Opium is a bitter, brownish, addictive drug.
The drug is derived from a plant called opium poppy.
Between China & Great Britain
The Chinese didn't demand British goods as much as the British demanded Chinese goods, especially tea. As a result, the British had to trade more valuable goods, such as silver, for Chinese products. When the British could not get the Chinese to buy more cotton from India, they started to sell opium to the Chinese. Opium is an addictive drug, so the Chinese wanted more.
Emperor Disagrees
The Chinese Emperor told the British to stop trading opium. When the British refused, war broke out in 1839. Chinese troops surrounded the British as a port. They demanded that the traders surrender their opium. British warships responded by destroying forts and ships on China's coast. The Chinese emperor surrendered and the Opium War ended in 1842.
Results of China lose in the Opium War
- China had to open five ports to British ships
- They had to limit taxes on British goods
- They also had to pay for the costs of the war
- Gave the island of Hong Kong to the British.
- Extraterritoriality was brought into China; when Europeans lived in China they were subject tot heir own laws, but not Chinese laws.
The Boxer Rebellion
The Chinese didn't like foreigners int heir country. They began to organize secret societies to drive them out. Even some members of China's government supported the Empress Tzu Hsi. Europeans and Americans called these secret societies the Boxers. In 1900, the Boxers attacked foreigners and Chinese Christians in China. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, and the U.S. sent in troops to crush the Boxers Rebellion.