Tai Lieu Chat Luong To Rob Preface On 8 November 2010, the British prime minister, David Cameron, led a substantial embassy to China He was accompanied by four of his most senior ministers, and fifty or so high-ranking executives, all hoping to sign millions of pounds’ worth of business deals with China (for products ranging from whisky to jets, from pigs to sewage-stabilization services) To anyone familiar with the history of Sino-British relations, the enterprise would have brought back some unhappy memories Britain’s first two trade-hungry missions to China (in 1793 and 1816) ended in conflict and frustration when their ambassadors – proud Britons, both – declined to prostrate themselves before the Qing emperor These failures led indirectly to decades of intermittent wars between the two countries, as Britain abandoned negotiation and resorted instead to gunboat diplomacy to open Chinese markets to its goods – chief among which was opium Despite happy snaps of David Cameron smiling and walking along the Great Wall in the company of schoolchildren, the 2010 visit was not without its difficulties On 9 November, as Cameron and company arrived to attend their official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square, a Chinese official allegedly asked them to remove their Remembrance Day poppies, on the grounds that the flowers evoked painful memories of the Opium War fought between Britain and China from 1839 to 1842 Someone in China’s official welcoming party had, it seemed, put considerable effort into feeling offended on behalf of his or her 1.3 billion countrymen (for one thing, Remembrance Day poppies are clearly modelled on field, not opium, poppies) Parts of the Chinese Internet – which, since it came into existence some fifteen years ago, has been home to an oversensitive nationalism – responded angrily ‘As rulers of the greatest empire in human history,’ remembered one netizen, ‘the British were involved in, or set off, a great many immoral wars, such as the Opium Wars that we Chinese are so familiar with.’ ‘Whose face is the English prime minister slapping, when he insists so loftily on wearing his poppy?’ asked one blogger ‘How did the English invade China? With opium How did the English become rich and strong? Through opium.’ In Britain, meanwhile, the incident was quickly spun to the credit of the country’s leadership: our steadfast ministers, it was reported, had refused to bow to the Chinese request ‘We informed them the poppies meant a great deal to us,’ said a member of the Prime Minister’s party, ‘and we would be wearing them all the same.’ (In recent years, Remembrance Day activities have become infected by political humbug, as right-wing rags lambast public figures caught without poppies in their lapels In November 2009, the then-opposition leader, David Cameron, and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, used the commemoration to engage in PR brinkmanship, both vying to be photographed laying wreaths for the war dead.) In certain quarters of the British press, the incident was read as an echo of the 1793 and 1816 stand-offs, with plucky little Britain again refusing to kowtow to the imperious demands of the Chinese giant Behind all this, however, reactions to the incident were more nuanced For one thing, beneath the stirring British headlines of ‘David Cameron rejects Chinese call to remove “offensive” poppies’, it proved hard to substantiate who, exactly, in the Chinese government had objected Beyond the occasional expression of outrage, as in the examples above, the Chinese cyber-sphere and press did not actually seem particularly bothered, with netizens and journalists calmly discussing the symbolic significance of British poppy-wearing, and even bemoaning the fact that China lacked similar commemorations of her war dead The wider public response in Britain also appeared restrained Reader comments on coverage of the incident in Britain’s normally jingoistic Daily Mail were capable of empathy and even touches of guilt ‘Just because [poppy-wearing] is important in Britain doesn’t mean it means the same the world over I’m sure some of us in Britain are highly ignorant of the importance of Chinese history in China – especially the Opium War no wonder they are a bit sensitive about it’ David Cameron’s poppy controversy was only the most recent example of the antagonisms, misunderstandings and distortions that the Opium War has generated over the past hundred and seventy years Since it was fought, politicians, soldiers, missionaries, writers and drug smugglers inside and outside China have been retelling and reinterpreting the conflict to serve their own purposes In China, it has been publicly demonized as the first emblematic act of Western aggression: as the beginning of a national struggle against a foreign conspiracy to humiliate the country with drugs and violence In nations like Britain, meanwhile, the waging of the war transformed prevailing perceptions of the Middle Kingdom: China became, in Western eyes, an arrogant, fossilized empire cast beneficially into the modern world by gunboat diplomacy The reality of the conflict – a tragicomedy of overworked emperors, mendacious reality of the conflict – a tragicomedy of overworked emperors, mendacious generals and pragmatic collaborators – was far more chaotically interesting This book is the story of the extraordinary war that has been haunting Sino-Western relations for almost two centuries Contents Maps A Note About Chinese Names and Romanization Introduction One: Opium and China Two: Daoguang’s Decision Three: Canton Spring Four: Opium and Lime Five: The First Shots Six: ‘An Explanatory Declaration’ Seven: Sweet-Talk and Sea-Slug Eight: Qishan’s Downfall Nine: The Siege of Canton Ten: The UnEnglished Englishman Eleven: Xiamen and Zhoushan Twelve: A Winter in Suzhou Thirteen: The Fight for Qing China Fourteen: The Treaty of Nanjing Fifteen: Peace and War Sixteen: The Yellow Peril Seventeen: The National Disease Eighteen: Communist Conspiracies Nineteen: Conclusion Principal Characters Timeline Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgements Index Maps The Contemporary People’s Republic of China The Qing Empire Overview of Theatres of the Opium War, 1839–42 Canton and its Surroundings The East Coast Campaigns (1841–42) The Contemporary People’s Republic of China Lindsay, Hugh Hamilton ref 1 Linnaeus, Carl ref 1 Lintin ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Liu Xiaobo ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Liu Yunke (Governor of Zhejiang) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Lhasa ref 1 Loch, Captain Granville ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Loch, Henry ref 1 London ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 Chinese in ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 in Fu Manchu plots ref 1 Karl Marx settles in ref 1 loot from second Opium War displayed in ref 1 opium in ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Sun Yat-sen in ref 1, ref 2 London, Jack ref 1 Long March ref 1, ref 2 ‘loose-rein’ policy ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Lu Kun ref 1, ref 2 Lu Xinlan ref 1 Lu Xun ref 1 Lust, Caution (film) ref 1 Macao ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10 Charles Elliot based on ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 Henry Pottinger reaches ref 1 McCarthy, Justin ref 1 Macartney, George, 1st Earl Macartney ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Macaulay, Thomas Babington ref 1, ref 2 McDougall, Bonnie ref 1 McPherson, Duncan ref 1 Manchuria ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 Manchus ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 (see also Qing) ethnic identity of ref 1 Mao Zedong ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13 on first Opium War ref 1 Maoism ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Marx, Karl ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Mask of Fu Manchu, The (film) ref 1 Matheson, Donald ref 1, ref 2 Matheson, James ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 sinophobia of ref 1, ref 2 Maugham, Somerset ref 1 May Fourth Movement ref 1, ref 2 Melbourne, Lord, see Lamb, William 2nd Viscount Melbourne Ming dynasty ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 and civil-service examinations ref 1 and Manchus ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 and opium ref 1, ref 2 missionaries ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 allies of opium traders ref 1, ref 2 anti-Chinese feeling among ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 and Boxer Rebellion ref 1, ref 2 opposition to opium ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 Mongolia ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Moonstone, The (novel) ref 1 Morning Post (newspaper) ref 1 Morrison, John ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Morrison, Robert ref 1, ref 2 Mukden ref 1 Mystery of Edwin Drood, The (novel) ref 1 Nanjing ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 British attack on (1842) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 in grain transport system ref 1, ref 2 Rape of (1937) ref 1, ref 2 Treaty of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13, ref 14, ref 15, ref 16, ref 17, ref 18 Napier, William, 9th Lord Napier of Merchistoun ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10 ‘National Humiliation’ ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 Nationalist Party ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 civil war with Chinese Communist Party ref 1, ref 2 opium policies ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 United Front with Chinese Communist Party ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Nazi Germany ref 1, ref 2 Nemesis (steamer) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13, ref 14, ref 15 New York Daily Tribune (newspaper) ref 1 Nian Rebellion ref 1 Nineteen Eighty-Four (novel) ref 1 Ningbo ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 attacked and occupied by the British (1841) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Qing counter-assault on (1842) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Niu Jian (Governor-General of Zhejiang) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 enjoys cherry brandy ref 1 Nobel Peace Prize ref 1, ref 2 Northern Expedition ref 1, ref 2 Nurhaci ref 1 opium addiction to ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 campaigns to legalize in China ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 cause of Opium Wars ref 1 changing attitudes to ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 chemical effects on human body ref 1, ref 2 Chinese names for ref 1 consumption in China ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 cultivation in China ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 cures for addiction ref 1, ref 2 excluded from Treaty of Nanjing ref 1, ref 2 history in China ref 1 legislation in Great Britain on ref 1 as luxury item ref 1 medical uses of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 production of ref 1 role in creating Chinese nationalism ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 in Second World War ref 1 in Sino-British trade vii, ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 in sinophobia ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 as stimulant ref 1 suppression of in China ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9 (see also Lin Zexu) taxes on ref 1, ref 2 trade in China ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Western use of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 in world trade ref 1 opium clippers ref 1 opium dens ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11 Opium War, first ref 1, ref 2 (see also place names of individual engagements and names of treaties) British fleet reaches China ref 1 British military superiority during ref 1 British pillaging during ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 British prisoners ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 British public opinion on ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 casualties ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 causes of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Chinese civil conflict in ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Chinese collaboration during ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10 in Chinese history ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Chinese names for ref 1, ref 2 Chinese pillaging during ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 corruption during ref 1, ref 2 fear of retribution for ref 1, ref 2 Karl Marx’s view on ref 1 military incompetence during ref 1, ref 2 origins of term ref 1 Parliamentary debates ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 politicized memory of in China vii–ix, ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13 Qing attitude to ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Qing explanations for defeats in ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Qing officials misinform the emperor ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 Qing soldiers run away during ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 and Sino-Western relations ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 taught in Chinese schools today ref 1 trade during ref 1, ref 2 Opium War, second ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Anglo-French plundering during ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 British public opinion of ref 1, ref 2 Chinese views of ref 1 Parliamentary debates ref 1 preparations for expedition ref 1 Qing negotiations during ref 1 Opium War, The (film) ref 1, ref 2 Palmerston, Lord, see Temple, Henry John, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Panchen Lama ref 1 Parker, Admiral William, RN ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Parkes, Harry ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 background and early career ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 kidnapped during second Opium War ref 1, ref 2 provokes second Opium War ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 ‘Patriotic Education’ campaign ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Peel, Robert ref 1, ref 2 People’s Daily (newspaper) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 People’s Liberation Army ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 People’s Republic of China ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 pidgin ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 piracy ref 1, ref 2 Plot to Demonise China, The (book) ref 1 poppies, opium ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11 poppies, Remembrance Day vii–viii Pottinger, Sir Henry ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 early career ref 1 embarks on hostilities with Qing ref 1, ref 2 negotiations with Qing government ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9 travels to China as plenipotentiary in first Opium War ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Punch (magazine) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Qi Gong ref 1 Qianlong emperor ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12 encounters British embassy (1793) ref 1, ref 2 establishes ‘Canton system’ of trade ref 1 oversees expansion of Qing empire ref 1, ref 2 sources of authority of ref 1, ref 2 Qing dynasty ref 1 Banners ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 and Boxer Rebellion ref 1 conquest and expansion ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 cosmopolitanism of ref 1 debate about opium ref 1, ref 2 economy ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 emperorship 39 (see also individual emperors) involvement in opium trade ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 nineteenth-century crisis of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 military ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 navy ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 official corruption ref 1, ref 2 political culture of ref 1 preoccupation with domestic security ref 1 press ref 1 reforms of early twentieth century ref 1, ref 2 religious authority ref 1 speed of postal service ref 1, ref 2 tensions with Han Chinese ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10 trade ref 1, ref 2 tribute system ref 1, ref 2 Qinghua University ref 1 Qinshi huangdi, see First Emperor of China Qishan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11 accused of treachery ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 historical appraisals of ref 1 negotiates with Charles Elliot ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 travels to Canton ref 1 Qiying ref 1, ref 2 Imperial Commissioner to Canton ref 1 negotiates final treaty with the British ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 racism ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Rohmer, Sax ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 (see also Fu Manchu) Roy, Stapleton ref 1 Royal Navy ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 (see also Opium War, first; and individual battles) Russia ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12 (see also Soviet Union) Sanyuanli ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Sea Battle Museum ref 1, ref 2 second Opium War, see Opium War, second Self-Strengthening Movement ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Senggelinqin ref 1 Shaanxi ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Shaikh, Akmal ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Shanghai ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 May 30 demonstrations in (1925) ref 1 newspapers in ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 and opium trade ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 in Second World War ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Shenbao (newspaper) ref 1, ref 2 Shiel, Matthew ref 1 Sichuan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9 earthquake (2008) ref 1 silk ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 silver ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 Singapore ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 sinology ref 1 Social Darwinism ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Society for the Suppression of the Opium Trade (SSOT) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Song Meiling ref 1, ref 2 Soviet Union ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 (see also Russia) Spring Purification Circle ref 1, ref 2 spy plane incident (2001) ref 1, ref 2 Stanton, Vincent ref 1 Staunton, George ref 1 ‘Strong Nation Forum’ ref 1 Sun Yat-sen ref 1, ref 2 alliance with Soviet Union ref 1, ref 2 anti-imperialism of ref 1 background and early career ref 1, ref 2 death ref 1 nationalist thought ref 1 on opium ref 1 Suzhou ref 1 Swinhoe, Robert ref 1, ref 2 Syria ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Taiping Rebellion ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9 Taiwan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 opium in ref 1 Qing conquest of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 in settlement of Sino-Japanese war (1894) ref 1, ref 2 trade with ref 1 tea ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 and British trade deficit ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Temple, Henry John, 3rd Viscount Palmerston ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 China policy ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Chinese historical appraisals of ref 1 consults Parliament about first Opium War ref 1 dismisses Charles Elliot ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 as foreign secretary ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13 letter to the Chinese emperor ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 meets William Jardine ref 1 in second Opium War ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Thailand ref 1 Thatcher, Margaret ref 1 Thelwall, Algernon ref 1 Thom, Robert ref 1 Thomas Coutts (ship) ref 1 Three Principles of the People, The (lectures) ref 1 (see also Sun Yat-sen) Tiananmen Square ref 1 protests (1989) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Tianjin ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 British fleet approaches (1840) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 in second Opium War ref 1, ref 2 Treaty of ref 1, ref 2 Tibet ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Times (newspaper) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13 tobacco ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 tribute system ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 European frustration with ref 1 Unequal Treaties ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 United States of America ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 ally of Nationalist China in Second World War ref 1, ref 2 attitude to China ref 1, ref 2 in Boxer Rebellion ref 1, ref 2 Chinese emigration to ref 1, ref 2 courted by Sun Yat-sen ref 1 criticized after bombing of Belgrade embassy ref 1, ref 2 fear of China in ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 presence in China at time of first Opium War ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9 in second Opium War ref 1, ref 2 and spy-plane incident ref 1 at Versailles Peace Conference ref 1 Urumqi ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Verbiest, Ferdinand ref 1 Versailles, Treaty of ref 1, ref 2 Victoria, Queen of Great Britain ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12 Lin Zexu’s letter to ref 1, ref 2 Victoria and Albert Museum ref 1 Vietnam ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Wade, Thomas, ref 1 Ward, Arthur Henry: see Rohmer, Sax Wei Yuan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 historical significance of Opium War account ref 1 Whig government ref 1, ref 2 Cabinet meets to discuss war with China ref 1 domestic crisis of 1839 ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Wong, John ref 1 Wusong ref 1 Wuxi ref 1 Xia Xie ref 1 Xiamen ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 British taking of (1841) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 forts at ref 1 Xianfeng emperor ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Xinjiang ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10 opium in ref 1, ref 2 Yan Botao ref 1 Yan Fu ref 1 background and early career ref 1 death ref 1 nationalist thought ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 opposition to opium ref 1, ref 2 translations by ref 1 Yang Fang ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 oversees military operations in Canton (1841) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Yang Xianyi ref 1 Yangtze River ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 Yangzhou ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Ye Mingchen ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Yellow Danger, The (novel) ref 1 Yellow Peril ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 and fears of European degeneration ref 1 Yijing ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 incompetence as military commander ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Yilibu ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 negotiates final treaty with the British ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Yishan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 appointed Rebel-Suppressing General to Canton (1841) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 lies to emperor ref 1, ref 2 Yongzheng emperor ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9 Yu Baochun ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Yu Buyun ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 Yuan Shikai ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Yuan Weishi ref 1, ref 2 Yuanmingyuan (Summer Palace) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 destruction of (1860) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Yuexiushan ref 1 Yunnan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Yuqian ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 attitude to the British ref 1 background ref 1 commits suicide ref 1 defends Dinghai and Zhenhai (1841) ref 1 impeaches Qishan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Zhang Changjia ref 1 Zhang Xi ref 1 biography of ref 1 negotiates the Treaty of Nanjing with the British ref 1, ref 2 Zhang Xiaobo ref 1 Zhao Ziyang ref 1, ref 2 Zhapu ref 1, ref 2 British attack on (1842) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 history of garrison ref 1 Zhejiang ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7 Zhenhai ref 1, ref 2 battle for (1841) ref 1, ref 2 Qing counter-assault on (1842) ref 1, ref 2 Zhenjiang, battle for (1842) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5 Zhou dynasty ref 1 Zhoushan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6 British attack and occupy (1840) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10 British attack and occupy (1841) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8 opium on ref 1, ref 2 Qing counter-assault on ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4 Zhu Shiyun ref 1, ref 2, ref 3 Zunghars ref 1 Also by Julia Lovell THE POLITICS OF CULTURAL CAPITAL China’s Quest for a Nobel Prize in Literature THE GREAT WALL China Against the World, 1000 BC – AD 2000 First published 2011 by Picador This electronic edition published 2011 by Picador an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR Basingstoke and Oxford Associated companies throughout the world www.panmacmillan.com ISBN 978-1-4472-0410-7 EPUB Copyright © Julia Lovell 2011 The right of Julia Lovell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Maps drawn by Martin Lubikowski, ML Design, assisted by originals in Peter Ward Fay, The Opium War, 1840–42 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1975); Peter Perdue, China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2005); Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China (New York: Norton, 1999) You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases Table of Contents Title page Dedication page Preface Contents Maps The Contemporary People’s Republic of A Note About Chinese Names and Romanization Introduction One: Opium and China Two: Daoguang’s Decision Three: Canton Spring Four: Opium and Lime Five: The First Shots Six: ‘An Explanatory Declaration’ Seven: Sweet-Talk and Sea-Slug Eight: Qishan’s Downfall Nine: The Siege of Canton Ten: The UnEnglished Englishman Eleven: Xiamen and Zhoushan Twelve: A Winter in Suzhou Thirteen: The Fight for Qing China Fourteen: The Treaty of Nanjing Fifteen: Peace and War Sixteen: The Yellow Peril Seventeen: The National Disease Eighteen: Communist Conspiracies Nineteen: Conclusion Principal Characters Timeline Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgements Index Copyright page