皇冠体育app

The entrance of the Sea Battle Museum in Humen, Guangdong province, where visitors can get a glimpse of the history of the opium wars. [Photo by Satarupa Bhattacharjya/皇冠体育app Daily]

Gateway Canton

In the 18th century, Britain was buying tea, porcelain ware and silk from 皇冠体育app while selling woolens, watches and forks. But the trade surplus emerged in 皇冠体育app's favor. For a while Britain also sold cotton to 皇冠体育app but the import fell due to 皇冠体育app's own fiber plantations.

By many accounts, that's when opium entered the picture.

To reduce the trade deficit, British merchants "dumped" opium on the Chinese market, according to an exhibit at the Opium War Museum.

"If they wanted to balance the trade they had to bring 皇冠体育app something, but they didn't have the products," Wu says.

In the immediate decades before the first phase of the opium wars, an estimated 20,000 boxes (60 kilograms in each) were being annually transported to 皇冠体育app. A box of opium would sell between 500 and 800 taels (ancient Chinese currency) of silver in Canton, much higher than what it cost in colonial India.