The History of China

The war is over. The treaty is signed, sealed, & delivered. Yet though the smoke has cleared, the haze of uncertainty over what - exactly - just happened... lingers on. And that misunderstanding will echo for the next century. While Qiying writes love letters to Pottinger and the opium clippers resume business at anchorages just outside the new treaty ports, the machine set in motion by the Treaty of Nanjing is only just beginning to roll out. Time Period Covered:Aug. 1842 - c. 1860 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire:The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Qiying, Imperial Commissioner and chief negotiator [1787–1858] Yilibu, Imperial Commissioner and senior negotiator [1772–1843] Zhang Xi, retainer and intermediary [fl. 1840s] Lin Zexu, former Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850] Howqua (Wu Bingjian), senior Hong merchant [1769–1843] Hong Xiuquan, failed examination candidate [1814–1864] The British Empire: Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901] Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856] Sir Hugh Gough, Commander of British Land Forces [1779–1869] Charles Elliot, former Chief Superintendent [1801–1875] Captain William Hutcheon Hall, commanding HMS Nemesis [c. 1797–1878] William Jardine, co-founder, Jardine Matheson [1784–1843] James Matheson, co-founder, Jardine Matheson [1796–1878] John Robert Morrison, principal interpreter [1814–1843] Other: Captain Jean-Baptiste Cécille, commanding French frigate Erigone [1787–1873] Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff, missionary and civil magistrate [1803–1851] William Lockhart, missionary physician [1811–1896] Napoléon Libois, procurator, Missions Étrangères [1805–1872] Major Sources Cited: Fay, Peter Ward. The Opium War, 1840–1842Wakeman, Frederic Jr. "The Creation of the Treaty System" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new British envoy arrives with orders to finish the war and crush any more 'humbug'. The narrative follows a relentless coastal and Yangtze campaign, bold riverine maneuvers, and the shocking capture of key ports and waterways. It ends with tense negotiations aboard a warship, a punitive treaty that never mentions opium, and deep mutual misunderstandings about what victory actually means.

A tense reversal in Canton as imperial hardliners undo conciliatory deals and launch a bold Chinese military push. British forces seize heights, demand a huge ransom, and occupy the city. Local militias rise, a rain-soaked skirmish sparks a lasting legend, and the conflict shifts toward a larger demonstration of power across the south.

Britain carries the Opium War to Beijing's unready doorstep with steam and iron, moving the crisis from the border frontiers to the heart of the imperial court itself. As imperial defenses strain and diplomacy replaces defiance, the two empires probe each other’s resolve – and discover that both of their understandings of the other have been built on little more than smoke. Time Period Covered:July 1840 – March 1841 Major Historical Figures:The Qing Empire:The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner [1785–1850]Qishan, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Zhili [d. 1854]Yiliang, Governor-General of Liangguang [fl. 1840s]The British Empire:Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]Sir Henry Pottinger, Plenipotentiary to China [1789–1856]Sir James Bremer, Royal Navy commander [1786–1850] Major Sources Cited:Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age.Lovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China.Wakeman, Frederic Jr. Strangers at the Gate: Social Disorder in South China, 1839–1861.Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been 12 years since this initially was 'casted out - which means that the Year of the Horse is back, baby! Now it's the Fire Horse, but Happy Happy to Everyone! 马年快乐! 🔥🐎🧧 This Episode, we take a time-out from the historical flow to take advantage of the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities. We explore the history, legends, customs, and meaning behind this ancient and storied period of celebration. Happy Year of the Yang Wood Horse! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Britain and China both saw the opium crisis clearly enough to know it would end in disaster. Each believed it understood the situation, and the other, well enough to keep events from spinning out of control. And yet... it happened anyway.Time Period Covered:Late 1839 – April 1840 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire:The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850] The British Empire:Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]William Gladstone, Member of Parliament [1789–1898]Sir James Graham, Member of Parliament [1792–1861] Major Sources Cited:Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden AgeLovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of ChinaFairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China CoastHansard’s Parliamentary Debates, 1840 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lin Zexu believed moral clarity and the largest drug bust in history could end the opium crisis and avert war. Yet, as his solution drained into Humen Bay, so too did the last hope of peace between China and Britain.Time Period Covered:1836–June 1839 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire:The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang [1785–1850]Deng Tingzhen, Governor-General of Liangguang [1776–1846]Huang Juezi, Minister and court official (opium policy advocate) The British Empire:King William IV [r. 1830–1837]Queen Victoria [r. 1837–1901]Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Foreign Secretary [1784–1865]Charles Elliot, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1801–1875]Lancelot Dent, Opium trader and head of Dent & Co. [1799–1875]James Matheson, Merchant and political advocate for war [1796–1878] Major Sources Cited:Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China CoastPlatt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden AgeWakeman, Frederic, Jr. “The Canton Trade and the Opium War,” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. The Fall of Imperial ChinaLovell, Julia. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Letter to the queen of England, from the high Imperial Commissioner Lin, and his colleagues. From the Canton press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1834, Britain sent a man to China almost perfectly unsuited to the job... only to forbid him from actually doing it. William John Napier, naval officer, socialite, & dilettante with no experience in diplomacy, trade, or China, arrived at Canton convinced he was destined to break open the Qing Empire by force of his will alone. But he would not get quite the war he wanted. Nor the recognition he imagined. Nor the vindication he believed history owed him. Which is not to say he got nothing at all... Time Period Covered: January-October, 1834 Major Historical Figures: The Qing Empire: The Daoguang Emperor (Aisin-Gioro Minning) [r. 1820–1850] Lu Kun, Governor-General of Liangguang [1772–1835] The British Empire: King William IV [r. 1830-1837] William John Napier, 9th Baron Napier, Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China [1786-1834] Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston [1784–1865] Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey [1764–1845] Major Sources Cited: Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age. Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. “The Canton Trade and the Opium War,” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 10. Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. The Fall of Imperial China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this empire business, you gotta make the opium first. Then when you get the opium, you get the silver. Then when you get the silver, then you get the tea.Time Period Covered:ca. 1760-1839 CEMajor Historical Figures:Qing Empire:The Daoguang Emperor (Minning) [r. 1820–1850]Governor-General of Liangguang, Ruan Yuan [1764–1849]"The Hoppo" (Imperial Superintendent of Maritime Customs), The emperor’s personal revenue agent at CantonChinese Commercial Interests:"The Cohong" (Gonghang), the licensed guild of Cantonese merchants authorized to trade with foreigners"The Consoo Fund" (Gongsuo), the Cohong’s collective insurance poolYaokou Dealers & River Smugglers, opium wholesale intermediaries and armed transporters inland via the Pearl River systemBritish & Foreign Interests:The British East India Company (EIC)The Select Committee at Canton, the EIC's on-site management teamDr. William Jardine (1784–1843), physician-turned-opium magnateThe True Protagonists:Silver, shinyTea, fragrantOpium, somniferousMajor Works Cited:Fairbank, John K. Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast: The Opening of the Treaty Ports, 1842–1854.Platt, Stephen R. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age.Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. “The Canton Trade and the Opium War” in The Cambridge History of China, Volume 10: Late Ch’ing, 1800–1911, Part I. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices