First Opium War

The 1839–1842 war between Qing China and Britain ended in Chinese defeat and the Treaty of Nanjing, which opened ports to British trade.

Canton System: The Qing trade framework that restricted most Western commerce to Guangzhou and regulated foreign merchants. Its limits shaped the British trade disputes that preceded the war.
Royal Navy: The naval service of the United Kingdom, responsible for maritime warfare and defense. Its ships carried British forces and struck Qing coastal positions.
Hong Kong: A territory on China's southern coast that became a British colony after the Treaty of Nanjing. The treaty ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain.
Moral and Political Lectures: A series of speeches by William Ewart Gladstone in 1840 condemning Britain's war against China. Gladstone's opposition exposed a British moral argument against the war.
British East India Company: A British chartered company that governed territories and conducted trade across Asia. Its Indian opium production fed the trade at the heart of the conflict.
Qing military: The military forces of the Qing dynasty, including banner armies, Green Standard troops, and naval units. Its uneven equipment and organization struggled against British forces.
Treaty ports: Chinese ports opened to foreign residence and trade under treaties imposed by foreign powers. The Treaty of Nanjing established five treaty ports.
William Jardine: A Scottish physician and merchant who co-founded Jardine, Matheson & Co. in China. He lobbied British officials for forceful action to protect commercial interests.
Opium in China: The large-scale import and consumption of opium in China, which expanded during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The illicit trade provoked Qing efforts to suppress imports.
Battle of Chuenpi: A naval engagement fought near the Pearl River estuary in November 1839 between British and Qing forces. It marked an early armed clash as tensions turned into war.

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