Lin Tse-hsü Destroys Opium: China's War Begins
Lin Tse-hsü smashed 1.2 million kilograms of opium in Humen, handing Britain the perfect excuse to launch the First Opium War. This destruction shattered China's trade monopoly and forced the Qing dynasty into a century of unequal treaties that eroded its sovereignty.
June 3, 1839
187 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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