Opium War Analysis
A. Plan of Investigation
How and to what extent did Confucian values make it difficult for China to adapt to the challenge of the west leading up to and after the Opium War (1839-1842)? Between 1839 and 1842, China experienced the first of two Opium Wars, against Britain. The Opium War, which weakened the Qing Dynasty, created diplomatic tension, opened China up to more foreign influence. The time period examined will mainly be between 1839 and 1842, though there will be context from years leading up and following the war, including the years after the Treaty of Nanking was signed. To determine the extent and reasons for the difficulty that the Chinese experienced adapting to the challenge of the west, this paper will examine certain Confucian …show more content…
values, diplomatic conflicts based on cultural differences, struggle among Confucian reformers and the war itself.
B. Summary of Evidence Confucius, a teacher and philosopher in China lived from 551-479 B.C. Confucian ideals were strongly followed in China and are still upheld in some ways today, such as social harmony and filial piety. Confucius taught on many things including, government, social structure, and war. Filial piety is the attitude of obedience, devotion, and care toward one’s parents and elder family members that is the basis of individual moral conduct and social harmony. The idea of social harmony does not allow for much dealing with foreigners. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), there was no Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Relations with non-Chinese peoples were conducted by a variety of bureaus and agencies that, in different ways, implied or stated the cultural inferiority and geographical marginality of foreigners, while also defending the state against them. Social harmony is within the Chinese people, up until the end of the first Opium War relations and trading with foreigners was not widespread or accepted.
In the early 1800s there was a single port of Canton used for outside trading and it was closely watched by the Chinese people. Opium was grown in India, where the British East India Company had a monopoly on the drug, and shipped to China. It was used as medium of trade, because silver was becoming too expensive. In 1800 the government banned importation and domestic production of opium, then in 1813 smoking it was also banned. The Chinese who dealt in opium were threatened even with capital punishment, but a system of bribery was in effect to where the business was carried on. The Daoguang Emperor sent Lin Zexu to put a stop to the trade, in the process he confiscated over 20,000 chests of opium, blockaded trade, and confined foreign merchants to their quarters. Tension between China and Great Britain over the smuggling of opium into the country grew until in 1839 it turned into war. The two governments did not agree on many things when it came to diplomatic issues, such as the idea of trade and also forms of respect such as the kowtow which the British refused to participate in. The British functioned on the system of free world trade and followed international laws, while the Chinese had their own laws and customs when it came to trading and anything foreign. In Chinese culture, anyone who comes to see the Emperor or anyone in a high position is expected to kowtow as a sign of respect towards the person and the Mandate of Heaven, which stated that the Emperor was the son of Heaven. By not participating in the kowtow, the British in a sense unauthenticated the Emperor's legitimacy. An example is Lord Napier, who was appointed the first Chief Superintendent of trade at Canton. Napier is westerner who disrespected Chinese laws and government and was involved in what is known as the Napier Affair years prior to the Opium wars. Napier succeeded in moving Anglo-Chinese relations closer to the possibility of armed conflict. The first Opium War, also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, began in 1839 and ended with the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. Leading up to the war in 1838 when the tough prohibitions began to take effect, the market diminished and and dealers found themselves oversupplied, which prompted them to find a way to unload it to the Chinese. According to the Treaty of Nanking China had to pay the British an indemnity, cede the territory of Hong Kong, and agree to establish a fair and reasonable tariff. The treaty also stated that five new ports had to be opened for British merchants, rather than only have access to one port at Canton like in the previous years. The Chinese people had to learn to interact with the new Westerners.
C. Evaluation of Sources
Hanes, William Travis, and Frank Sanello. Opium Wars: The Addiction of One Empire and the Corruption of Another. Naperville, IL: Source, 2002. Print.
Published in 2002, this book by W.
Travis Hanes and Frank Sanello recounts the history of the Opium War through both the Chinese and the British perspectives. Its purpose is to give both sides of the story to better inform the reader of the Opium Wars causes, conflicts, and effects, while also presenting the information in an interesting way intended to captivate the reader. Because the source presents the view of each side the information is balanced and lets the reader decide what they make of both arguments. The value of this source is that it does examine both perspectives and it includes, not only stories and text but also illustrations of graphs and charts to aid understanding. The source has the limitation of its length, being very long and it covers information outside of the scope of this paper. Both of the authors are Americans that created this source many years after the event, so it is a secondary source that has an inherent underlying western inclination, though the images were obtained by primary …show more content…
sources.
Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. New York: Norton, 1990. Print.
Written in 1990, by Jonathan Spence a leading scholar in the field, this book brings to life the characters and events of China's modern history. The chapter most commonly referred to is China and the Eighteenth Century World with subsections about managing the foreigners and opium. Another was about reforms. The purpose of the source is to inform the reader of China’s history as a whole. The chapters selected, give insight into the role of foreigners in the past as well as more about Opium, and reforms. The value of this source is that it gives useful insight into subjects that are useful in analyzing how the people of China reacted to the war as well as the interactions with foreigners at the time. There is good information about both the Chinese and British and has images that reinforce the source’s information. The source is written by a credible author who is very accomplished in his field of study. A common theme throughout the source is the efforts of both westerners and Chinese to change China and how the efforts were carried out. Because it is written by one person, who is not a native, and was written many years after the war, the information must be secondary and there could be a certain perspective involved.
D. Analysis Confucius was a very influential teacher and philosopher in China in the late 400s B.C. Some of his main ideals included filial piety and social harmony, which contribute to the social structure of the country and people. This is relevant in understanding the Chinese people during the Opium war and their interactions with foreigners. The Chinese government had banned the use and trade of Opium, yet the British were still bringing it into the country. Opium caused problems because the people who smoked it had impaired judgement, which affected filial piety, respect for elders, as well as the harmony between people. So the emperor wanted to put a stop to the trade for good and sent Lin Zexu to handle it. He ended up destroying over 20,000 chests of opium without compensation and blockaded the port. A British soldier is said to have killed a Chinese villager, which is one thing that angered the Chinese. The man was taken back to Britain and tried there for his crime. This was not okay with the Chinese because he committed the crime on their soil so therefore should be punished by the Chinese government.By doing this and refusing to kowtow to the emperor, the British disrespected the Chinese. They were basically discrediting the emperor’s authority and the mandate of heaven, which was sacred among the Chinese people. To make matters worse between the countries, the British destroyed the blockade and took over the port at Canton and the city of Nanking. Leading up to the first Opium War in 1839 the Chinese people did not have much contact with foreigners or the outside world. At the time Canton had the only port open to foreigners and other than that the two groups were not around each other. The cultures and traditions of each country were so different, they did not mix well. In my opinion Confucian values held the Chinese back in relation to the rest of the world. It was a rather strict and specific way of life that did not allow the Chinese much common ground with other countries, especially in the west. As the British forced their way into China, as well as the continuation of the war, it became more difficult for the Chinese to adapt. The Treaty of Nanking was one factor that increased the difficulty for the two to achieve peace because it was thought to be an unequal treaty by the Chinese people.
Jonathan Spence’s, The Search for Modern China, suggests that China’s foreign relations were lacking because of their disconnect to the rest of the world.
This source helps lead to the conclusion that the Chinese had a rather difficult time adapting to the challenge of the west. Spence writes about the cultural inferiority the Chinese experienced. They believed that the country was superior in every way, when in reality China was far less technologically, economically, and socially advanced compared to the west. When it came to the military China was also way behind many other countries. One of the factors contributing to their defeat in the Opium War was that they were using cannons, used for many dynasties, unlike Britain's advanced military technology. If China had a better military and were a bit more lenient on the values of Confucius, the result of the war may have been in their
favor.
According to W. Travis Hanes and Frank Sanello, the conflict was caused by three major problems: the idea China had that they were the greatest civilization while all other nations were barbarians; China’s monopoly on production of goods like tea and silk, while insisting to be paid in silver bullion; and Britain's emergence as a premier industrial power and their determination to be treated as equals or even superior by other nations. Through the conflict of the opium war the British had an economic self interest and thought that they were being charitable to the Chinese and building a friendship with them.
E. Conclusion By looking into the question “how and to what extent did Confucian values make it difficult for China to adapt to the challenge of the west leading up to and after the Opium War (1839-1842),” it is pretty clear that it was difficult for the Chinese to become accustomed to a life involving the west. This time in the mid 1800s was when foreign influence became more relevant in China. The people were used to living life under Confucian values and teachings as well as Chinese law. When the west started being a more prominent part of that everyday it was very difficult for many of the people to adjust, especially under the circumstances of war.
How and to what extent did Confucian values make it difficult for China to adapt to the challenge of the west leading up to and after the Opium War (1839-1842)? Between 1839 and 1842, China experienced the first of two Opium Wars, against Britain. The Opium War, which weakened the Qing Dynasty, created diplomatic tension, opened China up to more foreign influence. The time period examined will mainly be between 1839 and 1842, though there will be context from years leading up and following the war, including the years after the Treaty of Nanking was signed. To determine the extent and reasons for the difficulty that the Chinese experienced adapting to the challenge of the west, this paper will examine certain Confucian …show more content…
values, diplomatic conflicts based on cultural differences, struggle among Confucian reformers and the war itself.
B. Summary of Evidence Confucius, a teacher and philosopher in China lived from 551-479 B.C. Confucian ideals were strongly followed in China and are still upheld in some ways today, such as social harmony and filial piety. Confucius taught on many things including, government, social structure, and war. Filial piety is the attitude of obedience, devotion, and care toward one’s parents and elder family members that is the basis of individual moral conduct and social harmony. The idea of social harmony does not allow for much dealing with foreigners. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), there was no Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Relations with non-Chinese peoples were conducted by a variety of bureaus and agencies that, in different ways, implied or stated the cultural inferiority and geographical marginality of foreigners, while also defending the state against them. Social harmony is within the Chinese people, up until the end of the first Opium War relations and trading with foreigners was not widespread or accepted.
In the early 1800s there was a single port of Canton used for outside trading and it was closely watched by the Chinese people. Opium was grown in India, where the British East India Company had a monopoly on the drug, and shipped to China. It was used as medium of trade, because silver was becoming too expensive. In 1800 the government banned importation and domestic production of opium, then in 1813 smoking it was also banned. The Chinese who dealt in opium were threatened even with capital punishment, but a system of bribery was in effect to where the business was carried on. The Daoguang Emperor sent Lin Zexu to put a stop to the trade, in the process he confiscated over 20,000 chests of opium, blockaded trade, and confined foreign merchants to their quarters. Tension between China and Great Britain over the smuggling of opium into the country grew until in 1839 it turned into war. The two governments did not agree on many things when it came to diplomatic issues, such as the idea of trade and also forms of respect such as the kowtow which the British refused to participate in. The British functioned on the system of free world trade and followed international laws, while the Chinese had their own laws and customs when it came to trading and anything foreign. In Chinese culture, anyone who comes to see the Emperor or anyone in a high position is expected to kowtow as a sign of respect towards the person and the Mandate of Heaven, which stated that the Emperor was the son of Heaven. By not participating in the kowtow, the British in a sense unauthenticated the Emperor's legitimacy. An example is Lord Napier, who was appointed the first Chief Superintendent of trade at Canton. Napier is westerner who disrespected Chinese laws and government and was involved in what is known as the Napier Affair years prior to the Opium wars. Napier succeeded in moving Anglo-Chinese relations closer to the possibility of armed conflict. The first Opium War, also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, began in 1839 and ended with the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. Leading up to the war in 1838 when the tough prohibitions began to take effect, the market diminished and and dealers found themselves oversupplied, which prompted them to find a way to unload it to the Chinese. According to the Treaty of Nanking China had to pay the British an indemnity, cede the territory of Hong Kong, and agree to establish a fair and reasonable tariff. The treaty also stated that five new ports had to be opened for British merchants, rather than only have access to one port at Canton like in the previous years. The Chinese people had to learn to interact with the new Westerners.
C. Evaluation of Sources
Hanes, William Travis, and Frank Sanello. Opium Wars: The Addiction of One Empire and the Corruption of Another. Naperville, IL: Source, 2002. Print.
Published in 2002, this book by W.
Travis Hanes and Frank Sanello recounts the history of the Opium War through both the Chinese and the British perspectives. Its purpose is to give both sides of the story to better inform the reader of the Opium Wars causes, conflicts, and effects, while also presenting the information in an interesting way intended to captivate the reader. Because the source presents the view of each side the information is balanced and lets the reader decide what they make of both arguments. The value of this source is that it does examine both perspectives and it includes, not only stories and text but also illustrations of graphs and charts to aid understanding. The source has the limitation of its length, being very long and it covers information outside of the scope of this paper. Both of the authors are Americans that created this source many years after the event, so it is a secondary source that has an inherent underlying western inclination, though the images were obtained by primary …show more content…
sources.
Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. New York: Norton, 1990. Print.
Written in 1990, by Jonathan Spence a leading scholar in the field, this book brings to life the characters and events of China's modern history. The chapter most commonly referred to is China and the Eighteenth Century World with subsections about managing the foreigners and opium. Another was about reforms. The purpose of the source is to inform the reader of China’s history as a whole. The chapters selected, give insight into the role of foreigners in the past as well as more about Opium, and reforms. The value of this source is that it gives useful insight into subjects that are useful in analyzing how the people of China reacted to the war as well as the interactions with foreigners at the time. There is good information about both the Chinese and British and has images that reinforce the source’s information. The source is written by a credible author who is very accomplished in his field of study. A common theme throughout the source is the efforts of both westerners and Chinese to change China and how the efforts were carried out. Because it is written by one person, who is not a native, and was written many years after the war, the information must be secondary and there could be a certain perspective involved.
D. Analysis Confucius was a very influential teacher and philosopher in China in the late 400s B.C. Some of his main ideals included filial piety and social harmony, which contribute to the social structure of the country and people. This is relevant in understanding the Chinese people during the Opium war and their interactions with foreigners. The Chinese government had banned the use and trade of Opium, yet the British were still bringing it into the country. Opium caused problems because the people who smoked it had impaired judgement, which affected filial piety, respect for elders, as well as the harmony between people. So the emperor wanted to put a stop to the trade for good and sent Lin Zexu to handle it. He ended up destroying over 20,000 chests of opium without compensation and blockaded the port. A British soldier is said to have killed a Chinese villager, which is one thing that angered the Chinese. The man was taken back to Britain and tried there for his crime. This was not okay with the Chinese because he committed the crime on their soil so therefore should be punished by the Chinese government.By doing this and refusing to kowtow to the emperor, the British disrespected the Chinese. They were basically discrediting the emperor’s authority and the mandate of heaven, which was sacred among the Chinese people. To make matters worse between the countries, the British destroyed the blockade and took over the port at Canton and the city of Nanking. Leading up to the first Opium War in 1839 the Chinese people did not have much contact with foreigners or the outside world. At the time Canton had the only port open to foreigners and other than that the two groups were not around each other. The cultures and traditions of each country were so different, they did not mix well. In my opinion Confucian values held the Chinese back in relation to the rest of the world. It was a rather strict and specific way of life that did not allow the Chinese much common ground with other countries, especially in the west. As the British forced their way into China, as well as the continuation of the war, it became more difficult for the Chinese to adapt. The Treaty of Nanking was one factor that increased the difficulty for the two to achieve peace because it was thought to be an unequal treaty by the Chinese people.
Jonathan Spence’s, The Search for Modern China, suggests that China’s foreign relations were lacking because of their disconnect to the rest of the world.
This source helps lead to the conclusion that the Chinese had a rather difficult time adapting to the challenge of the west. Spence writes about the cultural inferiority the Chinese experienced. They believed that the country was superior in every way, when in reality China was far less technologically, economically, and socially advanced compared to the west. When it came to the military China was also way behind many other countries. One of the factors contributing to their defeat in the Opium War was that they were using cannons, used for many dynasties, unlike Britain's advanced military technology. If China had a better military and were a bit more lenient on the values of Confucius, the result of the war may have been in their
favor.
According to W. Travis Hanes and Frank Sanello, the conflict was caused by three major problems: the idea China had that they were the greatest civilization while all other nations were barbarians; China’s monopoly on production of goods like tea and silk, while insisting to be paid in silver bullion; and Britain's emergence as a premier industrial power and their determination to be treated as equals or even superior by other nations. Through the conflict of the opium war the British had an economic self interest and thought that they were being charitable to the Chinese and building a friendship with them.
E. Conclusion By looking into the question “how and to what extent did Confucian values make it difficult for China to adapt to the challenge of the west leading up to and after the Opium War (1839-1842),” it is pretty clear that it was difficult for the Chinese to become accustomed to a life involving the west. This time in the mid 1800s was when foreign influence became more relevant in China. The people were used to living life under Confucian values and teachings as well as Chinese law. When the west started being a more prominent part of that everyday it was very difficult for many of the people to adjust, especially under the circumstances of war.