Ep. 6 | The Opium War
In this week’s episode, we give an overview of the First Opium War, one of the most humiliating events in Modern Chinese history. From this event that culminated in the first of many unequal treaties in 1842, China began a steady downhill slide and suffered a multitude of setbacks and insults from foreign powers eager to trade with China and build market share.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bu pingdeng tiaoyue | 不平等条约 | The Unequal Treaties |
| Daoguang | 道光 | The Daoguang Emperor |
| Dongguan | 东莞 | City not far from Humen, a major center for the Made in China trade |
| Dongya Bingfu | 东亚病夫 | The Sick Man of Asia |
| Humen | 虎门 | The town in Guangdong where Lin Zexu burned the opium |
| Kangxi | 康熙 | The Kangxi Emperor |
| Ketou | 磕头 | To kowtow (alternate pronunciation) |
| Laobaixing | 老百姓 | The Chinese people (The Old 100 Surnames) |
| Lin Zexu | 林则徐 | The great Chinese hero Lin Zexu |
| Qi Shan | 琦善 | Manchu Official who relieved Lin Zexu after the Opium War |
| Qianlong | 乾隆 | The Qianlong Emperor |
| Yongzheng | 雍正 | The Yongzheng Emperor |
| Zhongguo | 中国 | China |
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