Opium Wars
From notebook
I am not sure but I think that many Chinese may see the Opium Wars and their surrounding history as being the greatest, and most forgotten, holocaust in history. And furthermore I wonder whether it may soon be payback time. Not that I think that the Chinese are going to sell us narcotics, or even wage war with us, but once again, our need for Chinese goods is so great that we have run out of bullion. But this time we will not be allowed to sell the Chinese narcotics. And I don't think that Chinese will want to do us any favours.
The opium wars are not completely forgotten in my country (England). I was taught little about the Opium Wars at school and certainly not to feel that England had done the wrong thing.
The truth about opium smoking: with illustrations of the manufacture of opium, etc (Google eBook)
"Having regard to the nature and extent of the evils consequent upon our dealings with China, it may be doubted wether any nation has more deelply injured another than England has injured China. And yet, there are those who can point to the amount of money gained by our unrighteousness, and the difficult of doing without it, as though that condoned our sin. "
"An examination of this opium question can hardly fail to leave the most profound and painful conviction that no right-minded man can study the character of our dealings with China in this matter of opium without being filled with shame and sorrow. The record, if faithfully written, will form one of the blackest chapters of history." p 11
"Mr Heny Richard only expressed what thousands feel, when at the close of his admirable speech on the opium question in the House of Commons in 1876 (16 years after the Second Opium War which forced the legalisation of opium in China and about 35 years or 70 years before the end of the opium trade).
I am not ashamed to say that I am one of those who believe that there is a God who ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that it is not safe for a community, any more than an individual, recklessly and habitually to affront those great principles of turh, and just and humanity, on which I believe, He governs the world. And we may be quite sure of this, that in spite of our pride of place and power, in spite of our vast possessions and enourmous resources, in spite of our boasted forces by land and sea, if we come into conflict with that Power, we shall be crushed like an eggshell against the granite rock." pp 11-12
