OpiumTradeandtheFirstAnglo-ChineseWarof1839-42.doc

Opium Trade and the First Anglo-Chinese War of 1839-42 I. The Rise Of The Opium Trade The opium-producing poppy was first brought to Western China by the Turks （土耳其人）and the Arabs（阿拉伯人） in the late 7th or early 8th century. Imported as a medicine it was always swallowed raw. In 1620 some Formosans began mixing it with tobacco and smoking it. The Chinese eventually developed their own mode of consumption by burning opium extract, a refinement of the raw stuff, over a lamp and inhaling its fumes through a pipe. It afforded the escapist literati much relief. The Portugals were the first to import opium to China in any sizable amount but the Portugal merchants failed to have necessary capital to secure the supply for the Chinese market. Taking advantage of this situation, English traders carried the drug in their own ships and were able to undersell the Portugal. The position of the EIC was a delicate one. To the Chinese, the Company officially declared that they were not connected with the opium trade and that it was entirely up to the Chinese government to suppress it. Therefore they cautioned the country traders to avoid referring to their product as Companys opium. On the other hand, that Company when issuing the licence had a conditional clause: the licence would be void if opium which was not produced by the Company were exported. In 1729, when Emperor Yung-cheng （雍正）prohibited the importation of opium for the first time, the amount was about 200 chests. The importation of opium increased slowly. Until the end of the 18th century, its importation increased substantially. Opium trade may be divided into 3 phrases. a) 1800-1820 The import amount was about 4500 chests/year. Because of prohibition and Portugal authority relaxed their control in 1802, Macao became the emporium. 1805-06, there saw a serious slump in opium trade because of the disputes with the Portugal, piracy at round Macao and the competition from oth