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In September 1840, the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynasty fired Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu and replaced him with Qishan. [2] British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston instructed Plenipotentiary Charles Elliot to have the ports of Canton, Amoy, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai opened for trade; to acquire the cession of at least one island (or if the Chinese refused, the establishment of a ...
This in turn interfered with the trade of British merchantmen in China. [3] In October 1839 a cargo ship, the Thomas Coutts, under the command of captain Warner arrived in Canton from Singapore. The ship carried cotton from Bombay, and, since the captain was not trading opium, he defied Elliot's request and signed the Chinese bond. He held a ...
The Chinese commander Lai sent a disingenuous report of victory, claiming to have sunk a two-masted English ship and inflicted at least 40 or 50 casualties. [15] This is the first of what Chinese accounts later called the "Six Smashing Blows" against the British navy.
Historical accounts suggest that opium first arrived in China during the Tang dynasty (618–907) as part of the merchandise of Arab traders. [10] Later on, Song Dynasty (960–1279) poet and pharmacologist Su Dongpo recorded the use of opium as a medicinal herb: "Daoists often persuade you to drink the jisu water, but even a child can prepare the yingsu soup."
By 1833, the Chinese opium trade soared to 30,000 chests. [6] British and American merchants sent opium to warehouses in the free-trade port of Canton, and sold it to Chinese smugglers. [7] [9] In 1834, the EIC's monopoly on British trade with China ceased, and the opium trade burgeoned.
Capture of Dinghai, the capital of the Chusan islands. On the morning of 5 July, a large number of Chinese troops occupied the hill and shore. British seamen from the masthead of the ships observed the city walls of Dinghai, which were 1 mile (1.6 km) from the beach, also lined with troops.
Earlier, Chinese state media said an explosion was reported at the port and shockwaves were felt a kilometre away. Yang Ming Marine Transport said a fire occurred on board the YM Mobility while it ...
That evening, when the rate of fire from the Chinese guns finally slackened, the British determined to bring up their reserve forces and launch landing parties for a direct assault. The strength of the Hai River's flow required a ship to tow the infantry boats, as otherwise the soldiers would exhaust themselves with rowing before reaching land.