Lin Tse-hsü Destroys Opium: China's War Begins
Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu destroyed 1,210 metric tons of opium (approximately 20,000 chests) at Humen near Canton on June 3, 1839, after confiscating it from British merchants. Lin had workers mix the opium with lime and salt in large pools, then flush the mixture into the sea over 23 days. The destruction was Lin's most dramatic act in a broader campaign to end the opium trade that was draining China's silver reserves and creating millions of addicts. Britain used the seizure of private property as a casus belli, launching the First Opium War (1839-1842). China's defeat forced it to cede Hong Kong, open five treaty ports to foreign trade, and pay an indemnity of $21 million. The Opium Wars marked the beginning of what China calls its "century of humiliation."
June 3, 1839
187 years ago
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