For thousands of years, China had stood among the world’s oldest civilisations. It had been the seat of learning, contributing very significantly in philosophy, science, education, astronomy and various other fields. Dynasties rose and fell, but China continued its journey, affecting the world through its culture, language and statecraft.

But it was all going to change. In 1793, George Macartney led the first diplomatic mission to Qing China during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. The mission failed, as the emperor saw the British as a tributary state rather than an equal power. This failure ushered in chaos and humiliation for China as Britain, being the premier hegemon, shifted its strategy from diplomacy to coercion.

Under the garb of balancing the trade imbalance between the two, British merchants, with support from the East India Company, massively expanded the illegal opium trade into China from India. Resultantly, millions of Chinese became addicted, leading to severe moral degeneration.

In 1839, Lin Zexu cracked down under orders of the emperor, destroying British opium stocks in Canton. This led to the “First Opium War”. It ended in Chinese humiliation. The emperor signed the “Treaty of Nanking” on Monday, 29 August 1842. (Nanking is a city in eastern China, on the banks of the Yangtze River.)

As a result, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain, several Chinese ports were opened, and Britain gained major commercial privileges inside China. This marked the beginning of the “Century of Humiliation” for the Chinese.

To understand China today, the above........

© The Friday Times