12. High Qing

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The new Emperor's name was Daoguang. His reign began the onslaught into China of Western imperialism and colonialism. This period begins the era of unequal treaties.
From 1810 to 1838, opium imports into China went from 4,500 chests each year to 40,000 chests. The Emperor appointed an opium commissioner. He was to eradicate opium from China, and prosecute anyone involved in its trade. This marks the beginning of the opium wars. There would be two of them.

In 1839, 1,700 opium dealers were arrested. 20,000 chests of opium that were stored at Canton were also confiscated and destroyed. Later that same year, in an unrelated event, several drunken Western soldiers killed a Chinese villager. Despite repeated requests from the Chinese, the English refused to turn over the assailants to the Chinese.

In 1840, in response, the English sent military forces to China. The English quickly captured Canton and many other cities, secured the Pearl River and the Hong Kong area. The Chinese were no match for the military superiority of the English. The Chinese sued for peace. Both sides agreed to the Treaty of Nanking (1842).

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