Starter = Read the extract and answer one question in your book.

In 1841, a fleet of Chinese warships floated outside the port of Canton. A British
steamship, the Nemsis, appeared behind them. The local sailors were amazed. They
had never seen a ship like this before. It was a paddle steamer armed with deadly
weapons. With just one shot, the paddle steamer blew one of the local warships clean
out of the water.
 
The locals stood no chance. Their sailors were armed with bows and arrows. Their
cannons had been designed over three hundred years before and they sank without
being fired. Two hours after the attack began, five hundred local sailors were dead
and the British ship sailed through to capture Canton.

What countries are involved in this issue?

What do you think might be happening?

Why?
 Why did Britain and China go to war in 1840?

Extending: Judge which historian you agree with

about the main reason why the war happened.

Applying: Explain the reasons why Britain

and China fought.

Developing: Describe Chinese and British attitudes

towards each other.

Consider: How might

these 3 items have Foundation: Identify the causes of the war.
caused the war you’ve
just read about?
Task:
• Read about the Opium Wars.
• Create a storyboard of the 6 main events of the Wars. Make
sure you have the writing down explaining what happened as
well as a little picture!

Challenge: Think about the 3 things at the beginning of the lesson –

explain in your book how each one contributed to the wars.

Knives and forks Tea Poppies

 Hopefully,
china likes No.
our forks No. Want fork and
and knives knife? Give me
your
tea!!!

Their were three ships full of silver
knives and forks left Portsmouth and
went to china. Lord McCartney
believed they could sell them to make
a lot of money
No. If you want more
then give us tea
The Chinese did not like the English They knew china had tea and the
And they we laughed at for their British they wanted it
clothing also when they met the
Emperor they did not kneel
Give me your
opium!!!
Ok.

Britain took over Opium which is

addictive and 10million Chinese people
were addicted then Britain said if they
wanted more give us your tea
 What were the Opium Wars?
1. In September 1792, three ships full of Britain’s best products (e.g. silver knives and forks) left Portsmouth and went to China. Lord
McCartney was the captain of the ship. He believed the British could sell their products to the Chinese and make a lot of money (there
were 390 million people living in China who could buy these things!) McCartney just needed to persuade the Chinese Emperor Qian Long to
agree to let the British trade with the Chinese.

2. The Chinese did not like the English, they did not like foreign countries (they even made sure no one could learn Chinese so that they did not
have to talk to other people!) It took the English 10 months to sail to China, when they got there, the Chinese laughed at them! They
laughed at their clothing and wigs. When the British met the Emperor of China, they were supposed to ‘kowtow’ at him (this is when you
kneel and place your head on the ground.) The British did not want to do this, they thought it was embarrassing. When the British met the
Emperor on the 14th September 1793, they did not kowtow. The Chinese Emperor then said that they would not trade with the British,
they said that China had all of the products they needed.

3. The British were not happy. They knew China had tea and the British wanted it! They thought it would be a good drink for workers to
have when they were thirsty because the water was so dirty.

4. To get what they wanted, the British took ships filled with opium over to China. Opium is a very addictive drug made from poppies (like
heroin). Opium was illegal in China. The British gave opium to 10 million Chinese people and made them addicted to the drug. Once they
were addicted to it, the British said they would only give the Chinese more opium if they would let Britain trade with China. The Emperor was
very angry, his son died of an opium overdose.

5. A man named Lin Tse Hsu was put in charge of stopping the opium from getting to China in 1839. He ordered the British to give their opium
to the Chinese guards. He stopped the British from being able to leave until they did this by putting Chinese warships in their way. The
British gave him 20,000 boxes of opium and the Chinese burnt it all. Lin Tse Hsu told them that if they ever found opium on their ships
again they would kill the officers on the ship.

6. Back in England, the government heard about what Lin Tse Hsu had done. They declared war on the Chinese! The British ships were much
stronger than the Chinese. The British won easily. The Chinese Emperor had no choice but to let the British keep selling opium to the
Chinese people, they even had to agree to give Britain the island called Hong Kong, which then became a part of the British Empire!
Write around the picture.
• What can you see?
• How is the artist making the Chinese people look? (Friendly, nasty etc.)

Challenge = why might he be making them look like this?

James Gillray’s cartoon: ‘the Reception’, September 1792

 Where do you stand in this debate?
Who do you agree with the most about the causes of the
Opium War and why?

Historian A Historian B

I agree with …. that the Opium The Opium War was the
War was the fault of the… Chinese people’s fault.
The Opium War was They were rude when the
the British people’s British came to their
fault. They would do I think it was their fault because… country, they laughed at
anything to get what them and didn’t want to
they wanted. They trade with them just
were greedy and This caused the Opium War
because… because they hated
disrespectful to the
foreign people. This was
Chinese.
unfair.