This PPT is used to prepare students to analyze the letter from Lin Zexu to Queen Victoria. It reviews the Opium Trade and provides guided questions for the reading.

1. Opium Wars

2. How Did Opium Trade Begin?
Until the British started importing opium,
foreign trade with China was severely one-way.
Silver from Mexico or Peru
BRITISH give CHINA SILVER
Chinese SELL TEA, PORCELAIN & SILK

3. How Did Opium Trade Begin?
The Chinese were DID NOT WANT the
woolens, furs, and spices offered by the “red
haired barbarians”.

4. How Did Opium Trade Begin?
The result was that the Chinese imported little—
while vast amounts of silver flowed into
China.

5. What did the BRITISH buy with
SILVER?

6. What did the BRITISH buy with
SILVER?
TEA
PORCELAIN
SILK

7. Covered tureen and stand with view of Canton, c.
1780 China Porcelain Museum purchase, 1977
E80322.A-C

8. Pair of Seated Chinese Figures,ca.1803 Guangzhou, China:
Unfired clay, paint, wood seal Gift of Captain Richard
Wheatland,1803.

9. Silk Samples & Silk Thread 1800’s

10. Silk Production

11. Tea Production Fukien Province
1790-1800

12. Tea Warehouse, 1820-1840

13. Watercolor Tea Tasters Office 1888,
Whitmans Hong

14. Figure of a Tea Carrier, c. 1803 China Unfired clay, wood, paint Gift of
Captain Richard Wheatland, 1803 E7101
Figure of a Tea Carrier, c. 1803

15. Hyson Skin Tea Crate, 1818

16. Tea Caddy in three parts, HYSON on
wood box

17. Review
1. Name 3 products the British wanted to import
(buy) from China:
a. b. c.
2. Were the Chinese interested in furs or spices
from the Europeans?
3. What did the British drink before they had
tea?

18. British Trade Deficit
The British became hooked on tea, porcelain
and silk. They needed to find a solution to their
growing trade deficit.

19. 1773:
The British East India Company
Secures a monopoly on opium.

21. Indian Workers Processing Opium

22. Opium drying room in India is stacked
four stories tall with product.

23. Opium Transport
Los cargamentos entraban en cajas de 59/70 kilos (alijos) de opio procesado. En 1729
se vendieron 200 cajas. En 1790 ya se había llegado a las 4.000. En 1832, ya eran
23.570[1].

25. 1799:
China’s consumption reaches
2,000 chests a year.
The Emperor of CHINA bans the opium trade
completely.

26. OPIUM BAN is IGNORED
by British East India Company
Corrupt local Chinese officials became part of
the smuggling network.
Clippers arriving in Canton simply unloaded the
contraband onto floating stores before heading
into port for customs inspections.
The opium was later smuggled ashore.

27. 1810-1830 Shipments increased from
5,000-23,000 chests.
One million opium addicts in China.
From Chinese workers to traders and
rich merchants to soldiers and
government officials.

28. 1830s: TRADE DEFICIT REVERSED!
Huge outflow of silver used to pay for opium
leads to a major economic crisis in CHINA.

29. OPIUM solves BRITAIN’s
TRADE DEFICIT
1825: Opium imports push China’s trade balance
into the red.

30. Chinese Opium Smokers during
Opium Wars

36. Poor Chinese addicts give up
food for opium.

38. Lin Zexu 1785-1850
Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria 1839~
Directions:
Read the Letter by Lin Tse-Hsu to Queen
Victoria.
• Student A Read
• Student B Read
Note: If you finish early write 3-5
questions for your partner

39. Introduction
1. Who was Lin Zexu?
2. What did he write?
3. What do you think the purpose of his letter was?

40. 1. But after a long period of commercial intercourse (trade),
there appear among the crowd of barbarians both good
persons and bad. Consequently there are those who
smuggle opium to seduce the Chinese people and so
cause the spread of the poison to all provinces (states).
Such persons who only care to profit themselves, and
disregard (ignore) their harm to others, are not tolerated
by the laws of heaven and are hated by human beings.
His Majesty the Emperor, upon hearing of this, is in a
towering rage. He has especially sent me, his
commissioner, to come to Kwangtung, to investigate and
settle this matter.

41. Paragraph 1
1. What is the purpose of Lin Tse-Hsu’s letter to Queen
Victoria?

42. Paragraph 1
2. What word does Lin Tse-Hsu use instead of the
word foreigner? What does this tell you about the
Chinese attitude towards outsiders?

43. 2. I have heard that the smoking of opium is
very strictly forbidden by your country; that is
because the harm caused by opium is clearly
understood. Since it is not permitted to do harm
to your own country, then even less should you
let it be passed on to the harm of other
countries -- how much less to China!

44. Paragraphs 2-5
There are 4 moral arguments made by Lin Tse-Hsu against the
Opium trade and/or for stopping the Opium trade. Choose 3 to
explain. Identify the paragraph where you find the argument.
Paragraph 2

45. 3. Suppose there were people from another
country who carried opium for sale to England
and seduced your people into buying and
smoking it; certainly your honorable ruler would
deeply hate it. We have heard (heretofore) that
your honorable ruler is kind. Naturally you
would not wish to give unto others what you
yourself do not want.

46. Paragraphs 2-5
There are 4 moral arguments made by Lin Tse-Hsu against the
Opium trade and/or for stopping the Opium trade. Choose 3 to
explain. Identify the paragraph where you find the argument.
Paragraph 3

47. 4 Of all that China exports to foreign countries,
there is not a single thing which is not beneficial to
(good for) people: they are of benefit when eaten,
or of benefit when used, or of benefit when resold.
Is there a single article from China which has done
any harm to foreign countries? Take tea and
rhubarb, for example; the foreign countries cannot
get along for a single day without them.

48. Paragraphs 2-5
There are 4 moral arguments made by Lin Tse-Hsu against the
Opium trade and/or for stopping the Opium trade. Choose 3 to
explain. Identify the paragraph where you find the argument.
Paragraph 4

49. 5. We have further learned that in London, Scotland, Ireland, and other
places, no opium has been produced. Only in several places of India
under your control has opium been planted from hill to hill. For
months and years work is continued in order to accumulate the
poison. The obnoxious odor ascends, irritating heaven and frightening
the spirits. Indeed you, O Queen, can eradicate (get rid of) the opium
plant in these places, hoe over the fields entirely, and sow in its stead
the five grains [millet, barley, wheat, etc.]. Anyone who dares again
attempt to plant and manufacture opium should be severely punished.
This will really be a great, benevolent government policy that will
increase the common weal and get rid of evil.

50. Paragraphs 2-5
There are 4 moral arguments made by Lin Tse-Hsu against the
Opium trade and/or for stopping the Opium trade. Choose 3 to
explain. Identify the paragraph where you find the argument.
Paragraph 5

51. 7. ….. if there are still those who bring opium to
China then they will plainly have committed a
willful violation and shall at once be executed
according to law, with absolutely no clemency or
pardon.
8. After receiving this dispatch will you immediately
give us a prompt reply regarding the details and
circumstances of your cutting off the opium traffic.
Be sure not to put this off.

52. What is the law regarding Opium trade according to
the Emperor of China?

53. What does Lin Tse-Hsu warn in
paragraph 7?

55. “A” “B” answer questions