"By the 1830's, the English had become the major drug-trafficking criminal organization in the world". Discussion of the causes and effects of these wars.

How Commissioner Lin Tse-hsü's attempts to stamp out the opium trade led to war and personal disgrace.

"The wealth of China is used to profit the barbarians ... by what right do they then in return use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people?". Full text of a letter written by Commisioner Lin in the lead up to the war.

Article discussing "the biggest and most well backed drug deal in history".

Full text of the treaty which ended the war. Amongst its one-sided conditions was the ceding of Hong Kong to the British.

How increasing contact with western powers led to war and enfored change.

Links and discussion forum on both the war itself and a 1997 movie based upon it, from the DigitalChina/Harvard project.

Extended essay on the effects of the Opium War on the opening of China, on social, economical, political, and intellectual levels.