Effects+of+Opium+War

Effects:
The Opium War brought many new problems to the Chinese way of life, including the forced introduction to Western cultures and trade. The defeat in the Opium War was a harsh blow to the Chinese, and resulted in the British gaining the island of Hong Kong through the Treaty of Nanjing. Also as a result of this war China became open to western peoples. With the opening of China came the flood of western people, bringing with them their traditions and customs. The new western people came to China bringing their own laws which they followed instead of the Chinese laws set down for the country. Also forced upon the Chinese was Christian propaganda, promoting the western religion in all regions of China. Along with growing tensions with foreigners, the Chinese also faced internal conflicts and problems between their people. One problem faced by the Chinese was a growing population. This led to food shortages throughout the country. Many Chinese turned to opium and addiction again began to rise among the people. These growing problems soon led to the Taiping Rebellion in the early 1850's. This rebellion was led by Hong Xiuquan from the Guangdong province. His goal was to create a "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace." He wanted everyone in China to share in the country's vast wealth and have no poverty. The Taiping Rebellion led to the creation of a peasant army which took control of large areas in the southeast of China and started their own government. However, Qing imperial troops, along with French and British forces, attacked the Taiping and brought down the Taiping government in 1864. In this rebellion 20 million Chinese lost their lives.   Google Images Home The Opium War