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China Resists Foreign Influence
THe Qing emperor agreed to receive an ambassador from England. A letter was sent to England's King George III which stated that the Chinese were not interested in what the "West" had to offer. -
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The Tea-Opium Connection
Europeans wanted to find a product to sell to the Chinese. Opium was found. It took decades for the opium to catch on, but by 1835, approx. 12 million Chinese people were hooked on the drug. -
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War Breaks Out
The growing supply of opium caused social, moral, and monetary problems for the country. The Qing emperor was angry. A letter was sent to Queen Victoria of England to stop the trading of Opium. It went unanswer, The Opium War of 1839 broke out between the British and the Chinese. -
Internal Problems Increase
By 1850, China's poplulation grew to 430million. It was a 30 percent gain in only 60 years.