Primary cause of the conflict between the Qing Empire and Western powers Opium trade between British and Chinese Hong merchant. Canton System

1. Primary cause of the conflict between the Qing Empire and Western powers
The main reason why Qing Empire and Western powers were in conflict was purely economical.
Prior to the introduction of opium trade in China, the Western powers especially the British
suffered an imbalance in trade since China was importing large amount of porcelain, tea and silk
to Great Britain while Britain exported manufactured cotton and woolen cloths. The trade
favored the Qing dynasty economically and thus with an aim of establishing a balance, England
via the East India company began exporting opium from India into China. The opium trade put
China at a disadvantage economically and it became a source of conflict. The dynasty
continuously issue decrees to stop the opium trade. Besides, the Western powers were not happy
with trade regulations that restricted them only to one city and the pressure to have the Qing
dynasty open up other regions for trade was also a source of conflict. The Western powers found
the Qing dynasty as too confined to allow for changes in global world and thus the pressure to
open up economically was a primary source of conflict between the Qing Empire and Western
powers.
Opium trade between British and Chinese hong merchant.
In early 17th century, the Portuguese merchants gradually introduced opium to China. Initially,
the Dutch dominated the trade, but soon the British took over via the powerful East India
Company. The British would sell opium to the Chinese hong merchant in exchange of silver. The
British were exporting opium from India, which also facilitated the flow of trade between these
two countries. The opium trade was very important to the British because it helped them
strengthen the economic position of India, and since they were in control of the country, the
strong financial base was important to England. However, in 1729 Emperor Yung Ching issued
a decree to stop the opium trade and the merchants were at a risk of severe penalties. However,

2. since opium was already in heavy demand in China, black market opened up and illegal trade of
opium proliferated with China importing over 4,000 chests of opium annually. The Chinese
issued a decree to stop British from importing opium into China, but British continuously
ignored the decree, since it was difficult for the Chinese government to control an illegal trade.
Canton system
In the period between 17th and 19th century, China had to trade with foreign merchants such as
the British and the pattern of trade was referred to as the canton system. The trade was named
after the trading city, which was known as canton but today known as (Guangzhou). During this
time, all foreign trade was confined to the city as per the Chinese government regulations. The
canton system was intended to restrict any contact between the Chinese traders and the foreign
merchants. The Chinese government was worried that allowing European merchants and other
foreign merchants would erode the Chinese culture. Restricting trade to the canton city was
intended to ease collection of taxes and also to prevent political interference to the Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, foreign merchants were restructured to the factories in the city and small warehouses
along the banks of Pearl River. Besides, they were not allowed to learn Chinese language nor
interact with Chinese people directly. The central characteristic of the Canton trade was its
monopolistic nature, known as Cohong, whereby the Hong merchants, acted as the go-between
Chinese and foreign merchants and they would control the pricing and taxes.

3. Reference
Cheng, P., Lestz, M. E., & Spence, J. D. (1999). The search for modern China: A documentary
collection. New York: Norton.