How did the Opium War affect China (The Opium War of 1839?)

The establishment of the Canton trading system in China saw a dramatic rise in the import of opium via the British East India Company. The widespread smoking and trading of opium not only threatened public health, but also damaged the national economy as Chinese silver, which served as payments for British opium imports, flowed out of the country rapidly. In 1838, the Qing Emperor, Daoguang, decided to take a hardline stance against the opium trade and appointed a Fujian scholar, Lin Ze Xu, to end the practice of opium trading in Canton. Lin initiated a campaign against opium trading and smoking in the city, which was carried out firmly and successfully by his subordinates. The British, angered at the loss of profits from the burning of opium, responded militarily by sending in four British fleets to blockade the entrance to the Canton harbour, leading to the outbreak of the Opium War. Severe fighting between the British troops and the Chinese forces lasted for two years, ending with the defeat of the Qing army. The victory of the West was a wake-up-call for China - the Manchu troops were clearly no match for the new and powerful weapons that the British had. The capture of Nanjing in 1842 prompted the Qing government to quickly sue for peace, which led to the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing, and ended China’s first clash with the West. The treaty fundamentally altered the structure of Qing relations with foreign powers, and paved the way for the signing of a series of unequal treaties with other Western states.