Empires – The British Empire - section (i) (c) China

This is a follow on from the previous two videos which concerned the beginnings of the British Empire and the British presence in the Indian subcontinent.
In this video I will focus on China.
China, evidently, can not be considered as being part of the British Empire, but I think it’s worth talking about because it shows how Empires are liable treat other sovereign states.
I mention China also because back then, China was itsef an Empire, coming under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. What is more, it could perhaps be regarded an Empire today, or at least an Empire in the making. I think it’s safe to say, that it currently has Imperial ambitions.
Anyway, that aside, back to the matter at hand … The British are famous around their world for their love of tea. Tea is grown in various regions of the world nowadays, but back in the 18th Century, the tea, so beloved by the British, came principally from China. Britain imported, not only tea from China, but silk and porcelain also. Much to the chagrin of the British, China didn’t want anything in return at least in terms of British products. The Balance of Trade between Britain and China during that time period was therefore tipped in China’s favour. Moreover, the tea, silks and other Chinese products were paid for by the British in silver. As a result, lots of silver was going out of the British coffers and travelling East. Needless to say, this rather displeased the British, so much so that they devised a devious plan.
They turned a great number of Chinese people into drug addicts. Over a stretch of time, they contrived to get a significant amount of the Chinses populace addicted to Opium.
Opium is a narcotic. It’s the made from sap of the Poppy plant. It’s the source from which all our opioids are made. Opioids are analgesics - they provide relief from pain. They are the pharmaceutical medicines like morphine, fentanyl, Codine, Oxycontin. And of course, Opium is made into the street drug, heroin.
Anyway, once addicted, the British then supplied the Chinese with however much Opium they needed. Put in colloquial terms, they got them hooked and then they fed their habit. Truth be told, this is really what all drug dealers should do - if they are interested only in making money, to the exclusion of everything else and, if they have no regard, or care, whatsoever for the well-being of other humans. And so, repugnant as this is, this is what the British Empire did.
Anyway, crucial aspect of this operation was that they ensured that the Opium was paid for by the Chinese in silver. This meant that silver started to travel back to Britain.
The effect of the addiction was tremendous, causing lots of social and economic problems in China. In the late 1830s, the authorities in China reacted by trying to outlaw Opium, closing Opium dens and executing dealers. Tensions between the two countries escalated, clashes occurred and so began the First Opium War. In 1840 British gunships were deployed and bombarded Canton