What is the reason why Britain launched the Opium War against China?

The humiliating history of the cession of Hong Kong 1. Britain coveted China for a long time during the Opium War. From 65438 to 0773, Britain started opium trade with China and became the largest opium dealer. British opium merchants continuously imported opium into China, which plunged China into a quagmire of disaster. A large amount of silver flowed out, which caused a serious financial crisis of the Qing government and even caused people's misery. Industry and commerce have been depressed and declining, and opium poisoning is rampant in China. In this regard, the then patriot Wei Yuan said angrily in the book "National Records"; "The cigar smoke is a disaster that China has never seen in 3,000 years." The destruction of opium in Humen was plundered by Britain from 65438 to 0839, and opium smoke billowed, which directly threatened the survival of the Chinese nation. At this time, the "anti-smoking faction" represented by Lin Zexu, a famous patriot and national hero in China's modern history, waved the sword of China, fought resolutely with the British invaders and led the anti-smoking movement that shocked the world. 1In March of 839, Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou as an imperial envoy to inspect opium. 1On June 3rd, 839, Lin Zexu came to Humentan near Guangzhou and ordered all the opium seized to be destroyed in public. The destruction of opium in Humen showed the world the determination of China people to ban smoking and resist foreign invaders. Lin Zexu's feat of destroying opium in Humen has won the support of all those who uphold justice in the world. For example, in his book On the Crime of Opium Trade in China, an Englishman accused British businessmen of "opium trade has brought great insult to the British flag", but British opium traders and industrial capitalists were unwilling to fail and stepped up their activities to urge the British government to launch a war of aggression against China. In June, 48 ships with 540 cannons and 4,000 soldiers arrived in Guangdong waters and blocked the Pearl River Estuary. As a result, this opium war, which was planned by the British bourgeoisie for a long time, aimed at opening the door to China and seeking the best interests of Britain in China, finally broke out. On July 6, Dinghai, the main city of Zhoushan Islands, was conquered. In the north, Daoguang sent Qishan, a timid and incompetent bureaucrat, to Guangzhou to make peace with the British army, and at the same time made Lin Zexu responsible for investigating the panic and incompetence of the Qing government, which encouraged the invaders. 1841110 In October, British troops occupied Hong Kong Island by force, captured Humen in February and invaded Guangzhou in May. From 65438 to 0842, Britain further expanded its war of aggression against China and successively captured Xiamen, Dinghai, Ningbo, Wusong and Zhenjiang. On August 29th of the same year, the Qing government and Britain signed the treaty of nanking, the first unequal treaty in China's modern history. Second, the British ceded Hong Kong and occupied our territory, Hong Kong Island, according to treaty of nanking. The British occupation of Hong Kong Island destroyed the territorial integrity of China. Britain's aim is to control China militarily and economically. 1860, 10, British and French troops invaded Beijing and razed the garden to the ground. The Qing government was forced to accept all the demands of the invaders and signed the Beijing Treaty on June 24, 65438/KLOC-0. In this way, Britain occupied the land south of Boundary Street in Kowloon Peninsula today and Stonecutters Island, the big island in the west of Kowloon Peninsula. This further consolidated and strengthened Hongkong, the base for invading China. After Britain occupied the southern part of Kowloon Peninsula, it soon attempted to occupy the whole Kowloon Peninsula and its adjacent islands and waters. 1On June 9th, 898, the Prime Minister of the Qing government and Britain signed the Special Article on Expanding the Border of Hong Kong in Beijing. According to this agreement, the Qing government leased the land south of Shenzhen River and north of Boundary Street in Kowloon Peninsula for 99 years. This land leased to Britain was later called Hong Kong New Territories. Therefore, the British conquered the territory of China and Hongkong through bayonets and foreign guns. Three. British colonial rule in Hong Kong The establishment of British government in Hong Kong is an important part of British colonial rule in Hong Kong. 1On June 26th, 843, Britain used the exchange of notes in treaty of nanking to declare Hong Kong a British "colony" and appointed Pu Dingcha as the first governor of Hong Kong. The British Hong Kong government was established. The Governor, also known as the Governor, is the person who assumes the responsibility of the highest head in the British Hong Kong government. According to the Letters Patent, the fundamental law of British colonial rule over Hong Kong, the emperor is the supreme ruler of Hong Kong, and the governor is the emperor's plenipotentiary. There are four systems under the Governor, which constitute the British rule in Hong Kong: (1) the Advisory Executive Council and the Legislative Council, (2) the executive body headed by the Chief Secretary, (3) the judicial body headed by the Chief Justice, and (4) the British troops stationed in Hong Kong under the command of the British Ministry of Defence. In addition, an independent Anti-Corruption Commission (ICAC) was established. The Executive Council and the Legislative Council are two important institutions to assist the Governor in exercising his functions and powers. The principal officials of the British Hong Kong Government also include the Chief Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Department of Justice. British troops stationed in Hong Kong are an important force for Britain to maintain its colonial rule over Hong Kong. Since Britain occupied Hong Kong through self-improvement, it has maintained a relatively stable number of troops in Hong Kong, about 1 10,000, including three services. The legal and judicial system originated from Britain is an important means for Britain to govern Hong Kong. Britain not only colonized Hong Kong politically, but also ensured the privileged position of the British-funded consortium in Hong Kong economically. British consortium refers to the British capital consortium based in Hong Kong, mainly including HSBC consortium, Swire consortium and Jardine Matheson consortium. Most of the British-funded consortia started their businesses earlier and have been involved in Xianggang's economy for a long time. They have a close relationship with the British Hong Kong government and have a great influence on the policies of the British Hong Kong government. Relying on the support of the Hong Kong government, they control the economic lifeline of Hong Kong. For example, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank owned by the British have the privilege of issuing Hong Kong dollars; Cable & Wireless, through its subsidiaries, Cable & Wireless Hong Kong and Hong Kong Telephone Company, monopolized the external communication, telephone and telecommunications services in Hong Kong. British real estate companies own a lot of real estate in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong people say, "The Jockey Club, Jardine Matheson, HSBC and Government House actually rule Hong Kong." British colonial rule made the whole Hong Kong society full of colonialism. 4. During World War II, Japan occupied Hong Kong and fell to19411February 7 (Sunday), and Hong Kong presented a peaceful and carefree atmosphere. The cinema is full, the bar is full, jazz music keeps coming out from the dance floor, and young people go for an outing in the suburbs of the New Territories in droves. In less than three weeks, Christmas will come. Only two or three days ago, the Hong Kong government held several joking air defense exercises. Who knows 1 the next morning, I heard the rumble of planes, the violent explosion of bombs and the return of anti-aircraft guns. The unexpected battle of Hong Kong began. Under the cover of fighter planes, 36 Japanese light bombers attacked Kai Tak Airport and Kowloon Seaplane Parking Area. Some houses near the airport were also hit by bombs. On the same day, Japan also attacked Pearl Harbor, a US naval and air base. The Pacific War broke out. On February 8, 65438, while attacking Kai Tak Airport and other places, Japanese soldiers divided into four roads and crossed the Shenzhen River to attack the New Territories. At the garbage bay line, most of the British troops retreated with a little resistance. Only in Huang Jinshan, southwest of Chengmen Reservoir, the fighting was fierce, and the two sides started hand-to-hand combat, and the battalion commander of the British infantry battalion was killed. In the end, because the two sides were outnumbered, the British commander Maby decided to give up Kowloon and ordered the "Peninsula Brigade" to withdraw to Hong Kong Island. The Battle of Kowloon lasted only five days until 12 night, when the whole Kowloon Peninsula was occupied by the Japanese invaders. 12 at night, Britain and Japan shelled each other across Victoria Harbour. The next morning, a boat with a white flag sailed from Yau Ma Tei Pier in Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. The ship carried Tadashi Tanaka, Japan's special envoy for surrender, and private secretaries of the kidnapped Hong Kong Governor Li Fu and others. The British army rejected Japan's surrender. 17, the Japanese army once again sent people to cross the sea in two small boats to persuade them to surrender. Hong Kong Governor Yang refused again and warned Japan that if there were any more "peace messengers" crossing the sea, Hong Kong would not shoot them politely. At midnight on June 5438+08, the Japanese army forcibly landed on the north shore of Hong Kong Island with motorboats, rubber boats and other ships 100. They landed. After they landed, they fought fiercely with the British army in Huangniyong. Captain Ruosong of the Japanese army was seriously injured, and John Rochen (Canadian adult), commander of the British Western Brigade, was killed. As a result, the British army retreated, and the eastern and western brigades defending Hong Kong Island were cut off. The Japanese army also occupied Huangniyong Reservoir, cutting off the British water supply. There are few British troops left in some areas. The British commander thinks he can't resist any more. After consulting with the governor, he decided to surrender unconditionally. On the evening of 25th, the British troops on the eastern and western fronts hung white flags one after another. So far, the battle of Hong Kong, which lasted 18 days, ended in the complete failure of the Japanese occupation of the whole Hong Kong area. 65438+February 25th is Christmas. In the evening, a car with a white flag sailed from Central to the Japanese headquarters in Happy Valley. Governor Yang signed an "armistice agreement" with Japanese representatives. He himself became a prisoner of the Japanese army. That night, most Hong Kong residents hid in dark houses or bomb shelters. The brightly lit "city that never sleeps" in the past has turned into a horrible world with rivers of blood, and the whole Hong Kong region has completely fallen into the clutches of the Japanese invaders, so people call this day "Black Christmas". After the Japanese army entered the city, atrocities such as robbery, rape of women and killing of innocent residents occurred frequently. The notice of the Japanese daughter hypocritically declared: "In order to protect China's property, the Hongkong War was a war against whites." However, there are still many China stores closed, especially those big ones, such as domestic companies, hardware stores and auto shops, such as Shixian, Yong 'an and Daxin. Most of the companies that have been sealed up have been marked with the words "Military Collection Department Management", while the doors of banks and pawn shops have been marked with the words "Financial Management". Everyone knows that "management" is just another name for robbery. The Japanese army stored 950,000 tons of rice in Hong Kong and took 800,000 tons as rations, which caused a serious food shortage in Hong Kong. The book "The Fall of Hong Kong-the 18th War" once described the Japanese army robbing with burning sticks: "The Japanese army is sorting out bundles of prey near the naval pier, and they are tied in sacks and filled a clearing. An enemy soldier tied a small label on the top of the sack, which read: "Kobe ... After the prey was gathered, the truck took it to the dock of the West Ring Road and put it on a big ship, which sailed back to Japan." "I once stayed in front of a big bicycle shop (bicycle) for a long time. There is a steam car at the door, and several Japanese soldiers are directing coolies. They carried the brand-new bicycles out one by one from the inside and put them on the car ... for a while, it was a truck ... so the brand-new bicycles were moved out one by one from the inside. " "The boss, like me, is as idle as a bystander, as if these things didn't belong to him ..." (Tang Hai: The Fall of Hong Kong-18th War, pp. 95-96) Many drunken Japanese soldiers often go out to look for women in the middle of the night besides robbing property. Women hide everywhere. Many women were humiliated and even gang-raped by several enemy soldiers. A few nights after the Japanese army held the "March into the city", many women were scared to run around on the roofs of the third and fourth floors, and the tiles were cracked. At that time, a woman said that she was not afraid of bombs and machine guns. Because she met them, she simply died. They are most afraid of enemy soldiers' flashlights and chilling knock on the door. The Japanese aggressor troops also killed innocent people, treating the lives of China people like dirt. In Lantang Road, not far from Happy Valley, a family of eight was killed. In Queen's Road West, an elderly woman was shot dead on the spot by the Japanese army because she didn't know Japanese and wanted to go east through the sentry post. In the bay, a young man accidentally broke into the so-called military zone, and Japanese soldiers came up with bayonets and killed him. In Yuanzhou Street, Sham Shui Po, a woman went shopping with a child on her back. When I came back, I caught up with martial law and looked at the building I believed in and couldn't get there. Her eldest son is about eight or nine years old and wants to cross the road to see his mother. The woman waved to stop her son from coming. Unexpectedly, both mother and son were shot by the Japanese army. ..... During the more than three years of Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Hong Kong residents lived in dire straits and suffered great hardships. Japanese invaders forced residents to use military hand tickets. At first, the ratio of military tickets to Hong Kong dollars was set at one to two. In June 1942 10, it was changed to one to four. By June 3 1943, Hong Kong dollars were banned, and residents had to exchange military tickets in Taiwan banks within a time limit, otherwise they would be killed. This is an open financial plunder. In the early days of Japanese rule, residents could only get a rice ration of 624 yuan a day, barely making ends meet. In the middle of the war, there was a food panic, and the Japanese invaders changed the rationing system and only rationed the public servants who served the enemy. As a result, the price of rice soared from a few yuan per catty to more than 200 yuan, and the residents starved to death, which was unbearable. The Japanese army also demolished historical sites and houses at will. They demolished the wall of Jiulongzhai and blew up the Songwangtai, a symbol of national spirit. 1In August, 942, the Japanese army wanted to set up 500 comfort stations (military prostitutes' houses) in Hong Kong, and the location was Yuedao near Fozui, Wan Chai. Hirojin Nakagawa, the captain of the 68th Brigade of the Japanese Army, personally went out to command a large number of soldiers, and suddenly blocked Lok Road, starting from the corner of the Arsenal in the west and Xunning Road in the east, plus barbed wire. Fierce Japanese soldiers armed with bayonets ordered all residents to move out within three days, leaving no one behind. Residents were forced to move to other places, even sleeping on the streets in the wind and rain. This is the happy event created by the Japanese aggressor troops. In fact, the comfort station doesn't need so many houses, so the Japanese army turned this area into their entertainment area. In addition to comfort stations, there are also tea shops, bars and restaurants. Later, it was the bar area in Wan Chai. During the Japanese occupation, all walks of life in Hong Kong withered, and only evil industries such as gambling and drug abuse developed. There are casinos from the busiest Queen's Road to the most remote corner. The notorious big casinos include "Rong Sheng Company" and "Li Liang Company". A Japanese flag and a slogan "Come in if you have money" are often hung at the entrance of the casino. Some people are ringing the bell, while others are entertained by local prostitutes. This is the "new order" that the Japanese army brought to Hong Kong. Casino owners are mostly desperate people who collude with the Japanese army, and some even mark the hall numbers of their secret organizations in the past, such as "Eighteen Sons" and "Yue Chengtang". 1In February, 944, Tanaka Jiuhe, commander of the South Branch Dispatching Army, became the governor of Hong Kong and publicly encouraged gambling and paid for it. Since then, the number of casinos has increased, and it is even more malodorous. In addition, the Japanese army also encourages drug abuse. The enemy's headquarters has a drug trafficking agency, Yuzhen Company, which transports tobacco soil from Jehol by plane and sets up a cigarette shop for smokers to buy cigarettes with a license. three