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China in the 1700s was a huge, prosperous civilization. However, in the space of 100 years (1840-1940) this great Asian power would turn into a torn country. By the early 1800s, China was flourishing under the Manchu dynasty. Chinese products, such as porcelain, tea and silk were hot commodities across Europe, and the demand was high. However, China wasn't interested in trading or importing Western goods- they considered them inferior and low quality. The only item they would trade for was silver. The Western powers grew frustrated, as Chinese items were wanted globally and silver was running out. European countries were witnessing an imbalance of trade in Chinas favor and a huge outflow of silver bullion. So the Europeans, the British in particular, forced China to open up its borders by introducing opium into the country in 1825 to reverse the flow of silver. The Chinese didn't realize that opium was a highly addictive substance until the late 17th century, and by that time more than a third of Chinese males were smoking it. The introduction of this drug into China opened up their borders fro trade and radically changed the nation.
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The battles of the Opium War