1839–1842Reputable sourceWell documented
The Opium Wars
On the timeline · around 1839–1842 · The Qing Empire
What happened
When the Qing tried to stamp out the British trade in opium, seizing and destroying stocks at Canton, Britain went to war. In the First Opium War (1839–1842) the Royal Navy's superior ships and guns defeated China, and the Treaty of Nanking forced open Chinese ports, imposed an indemnity, and ceded Hong Kong to Britain.
Why it matters
The Opium Wars began what Chinese nationalists call the 'century of humiliation,' a long era of foreign encroachment and 'unequal treaties' that many take as the start of modern Chinese history.