Opium Trade in China
The Early Years
Opium was first introduced to China by Turkish and Arab traders in the early 7th century, but did not gain popularity until the 17th century, when smoking tobacco spread from North America to China. By the mid 18th century, opium addiction and importation became such a problem that several failed attempts were made by the emperor to prohibit the cultivation, sale and smoking of opium.
The British Are Coming!
By 1773 the British became the leading suppliers of the Chinese opium market. The British East Indian Company established a monopoly on opium cultivation in Bengal, where they developed a method of growing opium poppies cheaply. The high demand for opium in China solved the huge trade deficit due to Europe’s vast desire for Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain pottery. By 1838 40,000 chests of opium were imported into China annually, tipping the balance of trade in favor of Britain.
The Opium Wars
Opium addiction grew so strong that it began to affect the high classes and imperial troops. The Ch’ing dynasty tried to enforce opium restrictions, which resulted in the First Opium War (1839-1842). China was unable to withstand gunboats sent by the British, and was defeated and forced to sign treaties that opened several ports to British trade, beginning Western domination of these ports.
In the Second Opium War (1856-1860), the Chinese government was forced to open eleven more ports, sanction Christian missionary activity and legalize the importation of opium. By this time, opium imports reached 60,000 chests a year, and continued to increase for the next thirty years.
Conclusion
By 1906, the Ch’ing government began to effectively regulate the importation and consumption of opium, and the trade was almost completely stopped in 1917. Opium addiction still remained a problem since the government couldn’t end native cultivation, but the Communists nearly wiped out the smoking of opium after they came to power in 1949.