Opium War: Analysis of the Letter to Queen Victoria and its Impact

This assignment delves into the Opium War, focusing on the letter sent to Queen Victoria by a Qing Dynasty official. The assignment explores the historical context of the letter, highlighting the diplomatic efforts made to address the opium trade and its detrimental effects on China. It examines the significance of the letter in the context of the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty, the impact of the opium trade, and the attempts to curb the illegal trade. The assignment analyzes the letter's arguments, which emphasized the importance of diplomatic relations and the potential for the British Empire to take action against the opium trade. The work also references the historical background of the Opium War and the subsequent implications of the conflict. The assignment aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the historical events and the significance of diplomatic efforts in resolving conflicts.

Running head: OPIUM WAR
Opium War
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1OPIUM WAR
Opium Wars refer to two wars that were fought in mid-19th century that involved
China along with British Empire (Mao 2016). An official was appointed by Qing emperor by
the name of Lin Tse Hsu who sent a letter to the Queen Victoria. This piece of writing talks
about the importance of this letter in history.
The work talks about the importance of diplomatic talks that can help a country in
winning the favour of another country. The letter was meant to get the support of the British
Empire so that it can stop the opium trade that is illegal within South China. The letter
pointed out to the fact that the British are known for their politeness along with
submissiveness and they should take steps in the face of the trade being wrongly utilised in
China (Zexu 2015). There were some people who solely cared about making profit and this
was causing the smuggling of the opium. The letter was meant to garner support of the
British so that it can stop the selling of opium. This work raises the point that it was in the
earlier times also thought that death penalty can help in putting an end to the evil designs of a
group of people. The letter points forward the important fact that the power of the British
empire can help in stopping the barbarians from carrying out the illegal trade involving
opium within the borders of China.
The letter talks about the importance of the diplomatic relationships in the past ages
that can help in curbing any kind of malpractice taking place in a country.

2OPIUM WAR
References
Mao, H., 2016. The Qing Empire and the Opium War. Cambridge University Press.
Zexu, L., 2015. Letter to Queen Victoria, 1839. Internet Modern History Sourcebook.