Lin Zexu Destroys Opium at Humen

Since the late 18th century, Britain had smuggled large amounts of opium into China to reverse its trade deficit, and by the late 1830s some 30,000 to 40,000 chests entered China each year. The smuggling drained silver from China, making silver dear and copper cash cheap, which burdened the people and strained state finances; more and more people smoked opium, severely damaging their health. In 1838 Huang Juezi memorialized in favor of a strict ban, and Lin Zexu, Governor-General of Huguang, also submitted a memorial warning that if opium were not banned, in a few decades China would have “almost no soldiers to resist the enemy and no silver to pay them.” The Daoguang Emperor appointed Lin Imperial Commissioner to suppress opium in Guangdong. Lin Zexu (1785–1850) was from Houguan (present-day Fuzhou), Fujian. Arriving in Guangzhou in March 1839, he and the Governor-General of Liangguang, Deng Tingzhen, ordered foreign traffickers to hand over their opium by a deadline, declaring, “As long as opium is not eradicated, this commissioner will not return.” The British Superintendent of Trade, Charles Elliot, at first obstructed him; Lin ordered the foreign factories blockaded and eventually forced the traffickers to surrender over 20,000 chests, more than 2.3 million jin. On 3 June 1839 Lin had the opium publicly destroyed on the Humen beach, adding salt brine and lime to seawater pits to break it down; destruction was completed only on 25 June. It dealt a heavy blow to foreign opium dealers and showed the Chinese people’s resolve to resist foreign aggression. It was a great victory in China’s anti-drug struggle, and Lin Zexu was honored as a national hero.