Imperialism in China
SLMS/10
Trade Imbalance
The Opium War
•Europeans had been seeking a relationship
with China for years, but the Chinese
granted limited access (trade through only
a few ports). Their trade relationship was
very unbalanced because the Chinese were
largely uninterested in European products.
•An unfavorable balance of trade suggests
a nation imports more than they
export. Most European nations
imported more from China than
they exported in the 17 & 1800s.
•Additionally, China demanded
bullion, or gold and silver, for their products. Europeans were not happy because
the silver in their treasuries was draining
into China.
•Europeans sought a product that would be
appealing enough to the Chinese to balance
the trade deficit. In the late 1700s, the British found the right product — opium.
•Opium is a highly addictive narcotic
(derivatives include morphine and heroin).
It was not widely available in Chinese society because the government restricted its
use. Only doctors and pharmacists could
dispense opium.
•The British however, grew and
processed opium in India. From
there, they began smuggling it in
massive quantities into China in the late
1700s. By 1835, more than 12 million Chinese were addicted.
•In 1839, the Chinese government sent a
strongly worded letter to the British government demanding they stop the importation of opium to China.
•The British ignored the demands of the Chinese, and with
that, the first Opium War began.
•The Chinese were no match for British military and naval superiority. In 1842, they
were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing
(Nanking). which granted the British the
island of Hong Kong, and opened up an additional 5 ports to British trade.
Reaction in China
•After the Opium War, powerful foreign nations lined up to sign “unequal” treaties
with China. More and more nations were
taking advantage of China’s weakness, and
demanding trading rights and other things.
•The Qing Dynasty’s inability to protect the
nation from foreign domination signaled
the end of their Mandate of Heaven. Numerous rebellions erupted in China.
•In 1900, the first massive nationalist rebellion, the Boxer Rebellion, broke out. It was an antiforeigner rebellion that would
not succeed, but within 11 years,
a rebellion would succeed, and topple the
last Dynasty of China.
Open Door Policy
•The United States proposed the Open Door
Policy in 1899 because they were concerned that China would be divided up into
separate colonies, just like Africa.
•China was to maintain its political
autonomy, but foreign nations
would have specific spheres of influence (exclusive trade zones,
could be a country within a country).
•In reality, foreign nations ran China — the
Qing Dynasty had no ability to resist them.
Global History
Imperialism in China
Name _____________________________________
1. Define: Unfavorable balance of Trade -
7. How did the Chinese government react?
2. Why did Europeans have an unfavorable
balance of trade with China?
8. What was the Treaty of Nanjing? What
did it grant to the British?
3. Why did China demand bullion for their
products?
9. What happened to China after their loss in
the Opium War?
Why was this a problem for Europeans?
10. Why did numerous internal rebellions
erupt in China?
4. How did Europeans balance the trade deficit?
11. What was the Boxer Rebellion? The result?
5. What is opium?
12. What was the Open Door Policy?
To what extent was it available in China?
13. What was the reality of China in 1900?
6. What was the British opium plan?