The Opium Wars: ‘Anglo- Chinese war (1839-42) and ‘Arrow war’ (1856-60)

IGCSE History Coursework: Assignment 1
The Opium Wars: ‘Anglo- Chinese war (1839-42) and ‘Arrow war’ (1856-60)

1. Since Canton (Guangzhou) is located at the meeting point of two rivers and a sea, it was wise of the Chinese to make it their major southern trading port and gateway to the outside world - starting 3rd Century AD. Trading with the west and especially with the British was practiced at Canton from 1759 – 1842, mainly exporting tea, silk, China porcelain and spices, and importing silver and opium.
The Canton trading system consisted of three parts:
China exporting goods to its neighboring countries, or the ‘native’ trade, which has been practiced long before,
China trading with Europe, or the ‘China trade’ , where China mostly exported porcelain and tea, and
The ‘country’ trade – the three-way trading system, where Britain imported Chinese goods by paying for them with Indian goods (such as opium).
The Canton trading system was abolish...