The Opium Wars Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1839, 1842

The First Opium War was fought between China and Britain. China wanted to stop the British merchants who were smuggling vast quantities of opium in China. The British organized a diplomatic mission to China in 1793 to demand that the Canton system, which limited British ships to anchor only in the southern city of Guangzhou, be cancelled and all of China opened to British trade.

The Chinese leaders refused to comply. In his famous reply to King George III, Emperor Qianlong declared, "We possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures."

Answer: Lin Zexu

In March 1839 Lin ordered the British merchants to hand over all of their opium stocks within three days and to sign an agreement pledging never again to traffic in the drug under penalty of execution. When British superintendent of trade Charles Elliot attempted to negotiate, Lin suspended trade and held all foreign merchants hostage. Elliot then ordered the merchants to hand over their opium to him, which he surrendered to Lin. Lin washed some 9 million Mexican silver dollars, the international currency at that time, worth of opium into the sea.

Answer: Quanbi

The agreement was rejected by both sides. The emperor was angry that his representative had made real concessions, while the British felt that Elliot had failed to press his advantage.

Answer: Sir Henry Pottinger

In the spring of 1842 the English triumphed easily over the courageous but ill-armed Chinese resistance. By late June the British occupied Zhenjiang, an important communication center and entry to the Grand Canal, the waterway by which rice from the southern regions reached the northern capital.

Answer: Nanjing

Through the the treaty, the Canton System was abolished, four more Chinese ports were opened to trade (Fuzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Xiamen) and the island of Hong Kong was ceded to the British.

Answer: Arrow

The Arrow was a ship owned by a Chinese resident of Hong Kong, and it was registered with the British there. On October 8, 1856, Chinese officers, searching for an infamous pirate, boarded the ship-without British permission-while it was docked off Guangzhou, hauling down the British flag as they did so. This minor incident quickly escalated into a fierce war.

Answer: Guangzhou

Answer: Treaty of Tianjin

The most important term of the treaty was the right of foreigners to establish permanent diplomatic residence in China's capital. The treaty also opened ten new ports to foreign trade.

Answer: August 1860

They invaded the Chinese capital, sending the imperial court into flight and burning the magnificent Summer Palace.

Answer: Beijing

The Convention established the right of foreign diplomatic representation in China's capital. Many restrictions on foreign travel within China were removed, and missionaries received the right to work and even own land in China. The opium trade was legalized.