ABSTRACT
In 1644, the Qing or Manchu dynasty of Manchuria overthrew the Ming rulers. Under Qing leaders, China’s territory and population expanded dramatically, but met with growing pressure from England and other Western powers wanting access to Asian markets. In the late eighteenth century, lacking other desirable trade products to offset their negative trade balance, British merchants were especially keen to market Indian opium in Canton, a proposal that the Chinese opposed in two Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860). The destruction of the emperor’s summer palace in Beijing, burned by British and French troops in 1860, proved that China’s military was not strong enough to withstand Western demands for unrestricted trade.
