Hong Kong and the Treaty of Nanking in 1842

In the 19th Century British planned to invade China for economic reasons. It had no motives to conquer the state rather entice it to accept a free trade. The country was rich in tea which was in high demand not only in Britain but all over the world. China also had porcelain and silk which the Britons envied. The intruders did not have enough silver to buy the commodities thus opted for a barter system. Consequently, a war between the two states occurred. It was fought between 1848 and 1852 with China becoming unsuccessful due advanced military competence of Britons. The signing of an agreement between them then followed, and British was additionally awarded extraterritorial rights by China. However, the imperialism in China was a positive thing to the natives because it introduced trade and much education in the region which opened up opportunities.

British dominance over China- it led to the ultimate collapse of the centuries-old Qing Dynasty, and more than two millennia of dynastic rule. It convinced China that it had to modernize and industrialize. Chinese Economic Hardships-   However, the most important reason for Chinese immigration was economic hardship due to the growing British dominance over China in the Opium War of 1839-1842 caused financial problems as well as starved the citizens Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century-

While The boxer rebellions is still ongoing, the British were selling opium, a poisonous drug made from poppy plants, to the chinese people. The British colonies refused to stop importing opium and continued selling opium to injure the chinese. In document 1 The Opium War, The chinese suffered shameful defeat and were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, which gave Britain the island of Hong Kong and free from the chinese laws at the chinese ports. China’s humiliated lost made them resist against the British rule, eventually leading to the Opium Wars. Although they were manipulated by the British, they still resisted to prove their loyalty and their love for their country. This indicates that the chinese people show Nationalism by portraying the pride they have for their country. The chinese also shows ideology by showing loyalty to their sacredness and ancient culture. In conclusion, imperialism altered China to a country that has nationalism and pride for their

People in Britain were not allowed to smoke opium because it was illegal and had hash punishments if they did therefore the people were too scared to start smoking it. Because of the harsh consequences of smoking opium, Britain tries to sell it to China to make money. They made money because the Chinese bought and became addicts that lead them to buy more. In The Treaty of Nanjing, it states “ His Imperial Majesty further agrees to pay to the British Government the sum of Three Millions of Dollars, on account of Debts due to British subjects by some of the said Hong Merchants who become insolvent” (Article V). China has to pay a large amount of money to Britain because it was said to be due to the “British subjects.” It also affected Britain socially because British subjects were allowed to reside in China even when it isn’t trade season, which benefits them to trade more along with the sudden gain of money from

Before the Americans had even gained control of their own continent and consolidated their union. The British were already heavily involved in east asia developing their own great sphere of influence. In 1842 after the first opium war the British gained position of a rocky outcrop on the coast of china. This is a selection from the treaty of nanking which award them this land “His Majesty the Emperor of China agrees, that British subjects, with their families and establishments, shall be allowed to reside, for the purpose of carrying on their mercantile pursuit, without molestation or restraint, at the cities and towns of Canton, Amoy, Foochow fú, Ningpo, and Shanghai” .

an obligation that China approved the island of Hong Kong as a crown colony of Great

Imperialism is a important period for China because it protected natural resources, and gave the economy a boost it needed. The European countries were looking to exploit the vast natural resources China had and without a strong government and no political power they could have gotten walked all over. From there this boosted the economy to the point where they could produce materials the European countries were looking for. They also had the ability to sell the natural resources straight up which brought more money into the nation. With the boost in the economy education and culture were able to flourish throughout which led to a positive influence for the future. Imperialism created many great things in China and resulted in them flourishing into a powerhouse.

During the 1750s the British invaded India and became the political leaders of Bengal to have access to Chinese tea but instead gained access to India’s opium. The Chinese refused to trade with Britain, so the British began exporting opium into China to cut the trade burden on themselves. The British smuggled opium into the Southeastern coast of China, where the desperate poor Chinese citizens did opium. The Chinese government demanded that the opium smuggling stop, but alternatively the Opium War broke out. Britain eventually won the war and took over Hong Kong, forcing China to pay up large amounts of silver. Due to Britain defeating China in the Opium War they gained silver, Hong Kong, and Southeast China. This gave the British access to market expansion, extra territory, and control over China, where the British law governed the Chinese citizens. In the 1840s through the 1850s India and China were the wealthiest countries in the world, then in the 1840s the British became in complete control over all of India allowing them to surpass Asia and other

In the earliest moments of civilization, violence has been man’s innate response to a threatening situation. The human body releases adrenaline, and a person has only a few moments to decide between fight and flight. War is the result of man following his instinct to fight. The reason humans ever choose the fight reaction is because they feel threatened. People want to protect themselves those who are close to them. Young adults who enter military forces are trained to believe that violence is the answer to their fear. They believe they are protecting themselves and their families. In Nanking, China, the former capital, young men followed their animalistic instinct to protect themselves and their families. During the Sino Japanese War, the

This agreement – the Treaty of Nanking – allowed Britain to superimpose its sovereignty on five Chinese ports. Promising only trade routes in return, the British had gained administrative rights over Shanghai. Only a few years would pass before the Indian Rebellion and the Second Opium War. The former displayed Britain’s commitment to its commercial routes and colonial subservience, as the revolt quickly collapsed and India fell under the ruling authority of the British Crown. The latter only worsened relations between Britain and China; the Second Opium War fully opened China for occupation by Western powers (an early example of the imperialism to follow worldwide). Britain would cling tightly to its territories in China well into the twentieth century; in Shanghai, this would prove to be

Before Europeans further decided to explore and imperialize Qing China, Chinese government and society was strictly conservative in the sense that they were rarely exposed to outside influences. Being considerably isolated from expansion, imperialism, and industrialization in the west, it took the people of China by surprise when suddenly Chinese power began switching between the Western nations, all of whom were fighting for dominance. These Western pressures changed how the Chinese incorporated Europeans into their society, they had to sign unequal treaties and push for reforms while still trying to maintain Chinese tradition. However, being forced to succumb to European power did not completely change their view of foreigners, or stop their

My research topic is the Nanking Massacre. The witness accounts I examined during my research have three components, the testimonies of the survivors , the accounts of the Japanese soldiers and the accounts of American missionaries who witnesses the event.

The Opium War was one of the most vital events in Chinas history. This event led to the end of Chinas closed-door policy, which stated that trade, could not enter China. The Qing government failed to protect people and witnessed land being taking by the British with the use of force. After land was stolen from China by British people that caused the Chinese to become upset because they disapproved of china’s weak imperialistic government. Radicals located in China began to discuss different forms of governments that would permanently get rid of the old ideas. Many foreign invaders traveled to china usually from Britain leading to arguments such as which areas were better also known as nationalism.

First, Britain seized Hong Kong from China. The Opium War of 1839-1842 was when China refused to be part of Britain’s free trade of opium, which was illegal and both nations fought each other because of the commodity. From the text, it states that “By the middle of 1842 British troops had seized Hong Kong… The Chinese were forced to sign a peace treaty that granted Hong Kong to the British…” (211). With the superior European weapons, the British seized not only Hong Kong, but also other cities in China. The Chinese signed a peace treaty that gave Hong Kong, a valuable city, to the British. Opium, the commodity, allowed imperialism in Asia because it extended Britain’s power in China with military force.

From the First and the Second Opium War to the Sino-Japanese War, China was a piece of pie that every imperialist country wanted to take a bite. Both Western powers and Japan had forced China signed numerous inequality treaties. Every time Chinese people tried to resist these foreign powers, there would be more humiliated terms on the treaties and larger amount of reparation awaited. After defeated by British in the First Opium War, the Qing dynasty had to accept the Treaty of Nanjing, which China paid British an indemnity, ceded