Summary+of+the+Opium+Wars

=The Opium Wars = In the early 1800's, China was well-known for its isolationist ideals and highly restricted trade. At the time, the only import they would accept was silver, and they had only one port available for trade with the United States and Great Britain. Understandably, this created great friction between Chinese government officials and eager English traders. The English felt that the isolationism of China resulted in extremely unbalanced trade, while the Chinese felt that this attitude was disrespectful to it's emperor and that trade with them was almost completely unnecessary. Simultaneously, the demand for a certain good was growing in China, and that good was opium. Opium, a powerful narcotic, quickly became an addiction for citizens of China during the time. In fact, a certain British physician estimated the number of opium addicts living in China to be about 12 million in the year 1810. Although the importation of opium was illegal in China, this was often overlooked by Chinese merchants who gained a considerable profit from its trade. By 1937, opium alone was 57% of Chinese imports. Seeing the importation of opium as more and more of a threat to the government, Chinese leaders were moved to lash out against the British, who were openly encouraging the transport of opium to China. The first Opium War had begun. The Chinese port-city Guangzhou, also known as Canton, was the only port the Chinese kept open for trade during the early 1800's. It became the center for opium trade at the time and was crucial to the start of the Opium War.