Editing History of Asia (section)

====Opium War====
{{Main|First Opium War|Second Opium War}}
[[File:98th Foot at Chinkiang.jpg|thumb|British troops taking [[Battle of Chinkiang|Zhenjiang]] from Qing troops]]
China saw its status reduced by what it perceived as parasitic trade with Westerners. Originally, European traders were at a disadvantage because the Chinese cared little for their goods, while European demand for Chinese commodities such as tea and porcelain only grew. In order to tip the trade imbalance in their favor, British merchants began to sell Indian [[opium]] to the Chinese. Not only did this sap Chinese bullion reserves, it also led to widespread drug addiction amongst the [[scholar official|bureaucracy]] and society in general. A ban was placed on opium as early as 1729 by the [[Yongzheng Emperor]], but little was done to enforce it. By the early 19th century, under the new [[Daoguang Emperor]], the government began serious efforts to eradicate opium from Chinese society. Leading this endeavour were respected scholar-officials including [[Imperial Commissioner (China)|Imperial Commissioner]] [[Lin Zexu]].

After Lin [[Destruction of opium at Humen|destroyed more than 20,000 chests of opium]] in the summer of 1839, Europeans demanded compensation for what they saw as unwarranted Chinese interference in their affairs. When it was not paid, the British declared war later the same year, starting what became known as the [[First Opium War]]. The outdated Chinese [[Junk (ship)|junks]] were no match for the advanced British gunboats, and soon the [[Yangzi River]] region came under threat of British bombardment and invasion. The emperor had no choice but to sue for peace, resulting in the exile of Lin and the making of the [[Treaty of Nanking]], which ceded the British control of [[Hong Kong]] and opened up trade and diplomacy with other European countries, including Germany, France, and the USA.
[[File:1859-60 CE world map.PNG|thumb|280px|Political map of Asia in 1860]]