In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, China had a very strict and protectionist trading policy with the outside world. Thus, what were the reasons for the introduction of the opium trade with China? First of all, the origin of a British opium trade between India and China resulted in the growth of opium-smoking in China. The British conquest of large areas of India first stirred up the production and distribution of opium. "At the instigation of the East India Company's directors, and speeded by the brilliant generalship of Robert Clive and the administrative skills of Governor-General Warren Hastings, between 1750 and 1800 the British had gained control of much of northern India and with additional bases in the south at

As a consequence, opium addiction and illegal smuggling soared corrupting the government and China spiraled into what some call the worst drug case in human history. So what was proposed to resolve this crisis? The imperial court considered opium as a social ill and banned its use and importation repeatedly. Nevertheless, greed of big profits had grown as the trade had grown. "As the higher authorities became more vulnerable to exposure, blackmail, or censure, they found it safest to drive the contraband trade out of their immediate jurisdiction" (Fairbank, Reischauer, Craig 452). The trading of the coastlines of China became even more difficult to control. With greater opium supplies, it had naturally attributed an increase in demand and usage throughout the country, in spite of repeated prohibitions by the Chinese government and officials. The British did all they could to increase the trade: They bribed officials, helped the Chinese work out elaborate smuggling schemes to get the opium into China's interior, and distributed free samples of the drug to innocent victims. For example, in 1936, Great Britain smuggled eight million pounds of opium into China --"about $18 million worth-and purchased only $17 million of tea, silk and other goods" ("Imperial Pushers: Britain, China and the Opium War" 2). Opium alone had resuscitated the British economy; however, China's dilemma increased. The problem grew to such great proportions that in 1839, the Qing Emperor assigned Lin Tse-hsu, who was appointed as an Imperial Commissioner, to end the opium traffic. Lin Tse-hsu was sent to Canton to achieve what was necessary to end the traffic forever. Lin was able to put his first two proposals into effect easily: addicts were rounded up, forcibly treated, and taken off the habit, and domestic drug dealers were harshly punished. His third objective was to confiscate foreign stores and force foreign merchants to sign pledges of good conduct, agreeing never to trade in opium and to be punished by Chinese law if ever found in violation (Thomas 1). In addition, he also addressed two petitioning letters to Queen Victoria to restrain Britain's drug merchants. "The wealth of China is used to profit the barbarians," he wrote. "By what right do they then in return use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people? Even though the barbarians may not necessarily intend to do us harm, yet in coveting profit to an extreme, they have no regard for injuring others. Let us ask, where is your conscience?" (Teng and Fairbank 25). In addition to these ways of resolving the opium trading and the illegal smuggling, Lin also suggested ways of a resolution for China's manufacturing and opium addiction. He proposed that anyone who dared to plant and manufacture opium would be strictly punished. As for the Chinese citizens who smoked or sold, they would all face the death penalty (de Bary, Chan, Tan 8). However, there were different thoughts from the other imperial officials of handling the smuggling and addiction of opium. Some of these higher authorities proposed that if opium smokers were to receive the punishment of death, while on the other hand, the illicit smugglers were only to face mild penalties, injustice would result because the smugglers would continue to find it convenient to smuggle just as it was. Governer-General of Hu-Kwang, one of the imperial officials believed that placing the death penalty would not only irresolute the problem of Chinese citizens smoking opium, but make matters worse. As he stated, "When severe legislation is first made, to be sure, they will be frightened almost to death. But presently they will think that the limited time is yet far away and decide to stop smoking at the very last moment. When that last moment draws near, they find it

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Approximate Word count = 2558
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)