Britain Seizes Hong Kong: Opium War Begins
The United Kingdom seizes Hong Kong as a strategic foothold, launching the opening move of the First Opium War against Qing China. This aggressive capture forces Britain into a three-year conflict that ultimately shatters Chinese sovereignty over its own trade policies and cedes the island to British rule for over a century.
August 23, 1839
187 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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