CHAPITRE 1 

: Hong-Kong

The opium wars in 1970: turning point in Chinese history

1st: 1839-1842 = UK vs China
2nd: 1856-1860 = UK and France vs China
 China lost both
The result of that defeat is that Chian had to cede Hong-Kong and allow the trade of opium.
Lesson China learnt = need to be stronger on international stage

I- 2 worlds collide

19th century: want to increase their influence

 Religious missions
 Economics (trades)
 Military

“Free trade”
In the decade before the opium war, the UK grow opium in India to sell it to China.
To maintain the trade balance, Britain sells opium.

China was never colonized

 Confucianism shape it: not based on God.
But the Chinese society is very conservative, so they don’t see the threats of the UK

A- Curse and profit of opium

Opium they sell in China is made from poppy(coquelicot)
 Used for medicinal purposes
But after the colonization of India, the East Indian Company for recreational purposes : more
and more Chinese people are smocking opium.
Create issues with addiction, many are now addicted.
 If people stop, started to feel unwell. A lot of people died from it.
1800: Chinese ban production/importation
1813: Consumption ban

UK hired smugglers (contrebandiers) to circumvent the ban by passing the city of Guanzhou
(Canton)
 The reason why the trade didn’t stop.
1834: removed the monopoly and open the market to competition so $ % by 4

Chinese emperor found out members of army and government smoke opium : he was
pissed.

II- Users vs pushers debate

1836: started closing opium dens and executing pushers = debate:
 First side : very pragmatic, want to attack the users by legalizing and taxing opium :
very expensive = less people
 Other side : want to target the pushers, led by Lin Zexu by resting out opium =
wanted to focus on foreigners
o Won
1839: arrives in Canton and writes a letter to Queen Victoria. He also kidnaps foreign traders
and seizes all their goods.
 UK sees it as an aggression = outbreak of the first opium war. Call China a backward
country
o British RN (most powerful navy in the world) attack for 2 years by bombarding
China.
Chian calls for a truce.

III- Aftermath of the war

To negotiate peace, China gives British Hong-Kong in 1842 with a huge indemnity, the right
to trade in major ports and extra-rights (individual rights)
After the first war, China is left in a weakened state.

IV- Second opium war

1856: second opium war for 4 years.

 After the first opium war, British imports increased. China starts attacking French and
British trading ships. They attack back on land.
1860: attack Beijing : Sack of the Winter Palace
 China loses and is forced to open new trading ports and legalize opium trading.
Western powers are now seen as threat.

V- K

After the opium war, China entered their modern age. Their sole focus is to grow as a power
and be equal or more to the western powers.
 Turn to America in the 20th century.

Document 1: Text
British officers take over the land of Hong-Kong. Kesri, Captain Elliot and Bremer
(representatives of the Crown). The Scottish forces, Indian soldiers (colonial troops) and
Chinese officials (defeated ones) are there. There is a strong imbalance in power between
the UK and China in favour of the UK. The natives are subjects of the Crown thus must obey
and carry out duties to the Crown.

1997: Hong-Kong handed back over to the Chinese. Last British governor gave away the
territory to the Chinese.
2012: Xi Jinping came into office and said that he wanted to make Hong-Kong part of China
again
 Why is that a problem?
When the English gave away Hong-Kong, it was a liberal democracy, it was within China but
it had its own regime.
“1 country, 2 systems”
 China wants to unify the systems. Hence the 2014 Umbrella movement.

Document 2: Text
English is an official language however it’s not the main language as it is canntonese (46% vs
96%). Hong-Kong is the best country to speak English in Asia. Officials and civil servants are
required to have a communicative level of English. It has been declining since Britaine left
and since China has been tightening its grip.

Document 3: Text
The government is portrayed as “tone deaf” and “inhuman” as a government who destroys
and kills people of Hong-Kong. It’s the citizens of Hong-Kong that are demonstrating against
them and the “falling” man. The poem deals with the suicide of a Hong-Kongers because of
the government, the tone is pretty sad and devastating, but also rebellious. It looks like a cry
for hel