William G. Enloe High School

Opium War Interview Translation
1, Q: We all know, the Opium War (1840-1842) endangered China greatly. China
had the status of excess exports in regards to Britain?s trade before the Opium
War (1840-1842). So do you know which two products were the most popular?
A: They were silk and porcelain .

2, Q: Then what kind of change took place after the Opium War (1840-1842)?
A: It was an excess of exports originally, and it was an excess of imports afterwards.

3, Q: All these had a great influence on Chinese trade and this influence was altered by the introduction of opium. So do you have an opinion on the opium?
A: The opium itself hurt no one. Opium can be used as medicine and cure disease. But after it was brought to China, Chinese officer and some ordinary people took opium, which would bring disaster to China later. Certainly, in term of the country, after the opium is imported, it had a very great influence on the Chinese economy. In terms of Sino-British trade, there was a change.
China was originally in a position with an excess of exports and opium was a danger because it changed this to an excess of imports. Politically, the government officials took opium, and squeezed the flesh and blood of the people to buy the opium in a large amounts, because the opium is very expensive. This corruption had an influence on the pure, bright politics. Another impact of opium, after the army took opium, the fighting capacity is weakened. This is how politics and economy were encroached upon. To put it succinctly, the opium imports to China greatly endangered the Chinese nation.

4, Q: There have been many suggestions about why the Qing government closed the country to international intercourse. What reasons do you think caused the closing?
A: Closing the country to international intercourse did not begin within one period of China?s history or within the Qing dynasty. It began in the <<bright>> or Song dynasties. Begin since bright or Song, close the country to international intercourse. Later on, when there were outside invaders in the region following the coastline the country was closed to international intercourse in order to resist foreign invasion. Another reason was in order to safeguard the dignity of the country, they did not associate with the other countries. Closing the country to international intercourse has played some positive function in resisting invasion but generally speaking, closing the country simply prevents knowledge of the outside situation. It causes China to have backward ideas, backward management. China also can not draw lessons from some more advanced, outside methods. In addition, China was in the declining period of the feudal society at that time. Feudalism had already entered its moribund period, when compared with the advanced capitalist system of countries like Great Britain, France, etc. it had no vitality.

5, Q: Some say that an important cause of the Opium War was the closing of the country to international intercourse. Do you think that if the country had not been closed to international intercourse that the war would not have broke out?
A: The war would have broken out. If the country had not been closed to
international intercourse, the Opium War (1840-1842) would have occurred just the same. When the Qing government closed the country, it was just a sign of the declining government. Qing Government had such moribund governance and produced a backward system that was in decline; it was inevitable that the system would lag behind. During the Qing dynasty, the feudal society was declining. In world development, capitalist countries such as Great Britain and France ,etc. are in a period of rising. With their capitalism developing so quickly, they needed a large number of industrial raw materials and primitive capital accumulation and markets in which to sell their goods. So those countries soon needed to expand their markets, and to seize raw materials. China had abundant resources and little strength to resist an alien enemy, so it became the target of capitalist countries, which colonize and then rob. So the Opium War was not the result of closing the country to international intercourse, and it was not Lin Zexu destruction of the opium stores or even the result of the opium trade. It was the result of the weak feudalistic system of the Qing Government.

6, Q: You mentioned Lin Zexu just now, and his " burning of opium stocks in Humen beach ". Some say this was a heroic undertaking of great significant and has reflect the great spirit of the Chinese nation, but others say the burning of the opium stocks caused the Opium War. What do you think of Lin Zexu?
A: Lin Zexu is a great Chinese national hero. Why do I say so? Because at the time of foreign invasion, he advocated resisting invasion . His most outstanding act was banning opium smoking and the opium trade. Later on, when the army of Great Britain reached Guangdong and invades, he trained the seaman, resisted doggedly, and so provided a basis for such an appraisal. Later, Lin Zexu submitted a written statement to a mere emperor again, demanding a ban on opium-smoking and the opium trade, demanding he resist the enemies. All said, the emperor removed him from office, later investigated Lin Zexu and demoted him to the area of Xinjiang. This corruption of explaining a mere emperor. So generally speaking, his actions reflect Lin Zexu's heroic spirit .

7, Q: To mere Huang Ti of one, no one has different views on him. How do you see Emperor Dao Guang?
A: A mere emperor, on the whole is a fatuous and incompetent emperor. Certainly, he is a victim of feudal society too. The general representatives, general spokesmen of the landlord class told him that he is big. In a situation that strands the worried outside and inside, while he was in power, the Opium War (1840-1842) took place, he, in order to safeguard feudalism-- and in order to safeguard the dignity of the Chinese nation to a certain extent also- resisted some. But finally, when he saw that there is not enough strength to resist, he adopted a method of compromise and surrender. So, for the failure of the Opium War (1840-1842), a mere emperor has certain <<bounden>> responsibility.

8, Q: At the time of the Opium War, some of the advanced capitalist countries went on the road to colonialism. What views do you have on colonialism?
Colonialism, it is a result of history at first. As capitalism develops, it has this result at a certain stage. It is a disaster brought to the world. But for colonialist power. Through colonialism, the capitalist economy of those countries developed quickly, so the overall national strength was improved, because they had seized the money and raw materials from the colony. And for the country with colonies, it is a positive function for these countries to utilize the cheap labor of the colonized countries and regions. But half a colonial country says to the colony, a kind of disaster. Where colonialism goes, it is inevitable that the bones of the dead will be there, that there will be genocide policies, that it will make the local economy develop deformities. Just like India, where one can only plant one crop, <can plant while being other,> This is a deformity in development. Totally according to the demands of colonialism are the demands of capitalist development.

9, Q: Colonialism has positive effect in a capitalist country, but a negative effect on a colony. Then what influence was there in China?
A: I can talk about the influence of the Opium War (1840-1842) on China. Because of the Opium War (1840-1842), Britain carried on colonial rule. Politically, destroyed territorial sovereignty. Economically, the self-sufficient feudal economy that combined agriculture with cottage industry was destroyed. And then from the social contradiction, it was originally a contradiction of the feudal ruler and peasant class, now became a contradiction between Chinese nation and outside invader. The nature of the Chinese society changed too, was originally a feudal society and was changed into semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.

10, Q: After the Opium War (1840-1842), China signed a series of unequal treaties. As to this, what do you think?

A: After the Opium War (1840-1842), China crossed and signed a series of unequal treaties such as the " Treaty of Nanjing", etc.. To talk about their inequality, it depends on the influence of China. In relation to sovereignty, territorial integrity first was affected, they had cut the Hong Kong Island, from an independent country, and have turned the country into a colonized slave. Economically speaking, it has also caused great destruction. The Chinese tariff autonomies have all caused great danger.

11, Q: Besides " treaty of Nanjing ", were there some other unequal treaties?
A: Between China and the United States there was the "Wangxia treaty?, China and French " Huangpu treaty ", this enclosure, Treaty of Nanjing.

12, Q: Did these have any different, concrete influence?
A: They certainly have. These two treaties have expanded the invasion rights and interests in China at the time, there is one for Britain, expanded to France and the U.S.A. These two treaties have introduced the church and religion, in this way they can -in the name of preaching- invade, that is, come to China to carry on political, economic, and military affairs. Having expanded advantage to
trade in China, the open city extended to the upper and middle reaches of the Changjiang River.

13, Q: At that time, China was forced to sign the treaties but if they had not signed the unequal treaties, would that have caused a new war all over again? Then do you think that it was a good idea to sign the unequal treaty?
A: I do not think it was a good idea. It is a little better to not sign the unequal treaty. Struggle, so that the unyielding one stands up to the foreign invader. Perhaps, if it was not easy to invade China, they would see that this colony is not easy to capture, then they would think to give up, because there were a lot of places that could have been invaded at that time. So if all the people of China had united at that time, if the Qing Government?s politics had remained pure and bright, the military fighting capacity would be strong enough to resist foreign invasion, then China?s modern history could very well be rewritten.

14, Q: How did the changes that took place during the Opium War change China?s policy?
A: At the beginning, when the Opium War (1840-1842) had just taken place, the Qing Government fought, resisted invasion, and that turned into a compromise policy, which then turned into a policy of surrender, because they had signed a treaty. This turned into China and foreign countries joining together after and then <<reaching>> amalgamating. Resistance, to compromise, to surrender, then finally reached unison. <<is it unite to reach finally.>> The Qing Government had slipped to imperialism and gone on one side step by step, becomes a tool
which imperialism used to rule, oppress, and enslave the Chinese people.

15, Q: After first the Opium War (1840-1842), the Second Opium War (1856-1860) broke out. What relationship do you think there is between these two wars?
A: I think, the Second Opium War (1856-1860) is continuation and enlargement of the first Opium War (1840-1842). It is a continuation, because the introduction of the opium brought disaster to China. Revise the treaty, They will revise the treaty after first the Opium War (1840-1842). After this kind of demand is refused, the allied forces of Great Britain and France wanted to expand the rights and interests of invading further, and thus launched the second Opium War to fight for this. Enlargement, mainly because it expanded the rights and interests of the invading powers from the coastal area to the inland. Cede territory, to say, cut out the Hong Kong Island originally, afterwards-- especially tsarist Russia signs a series of unequal treaties-- occupies more than 1,500,000 sq. km. of territories in the Northeast and Northwest of China. They made Chinese politics, economy, military affairs, influenced China, and further strengthened China's semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The second Opium War was a continuation and enlargement of the first Opium War.

16, Q: We now know that the environment was also endangered because of the war. What influence do you think the Opium Wars had on the ecology of China?
A: After the Opium War (1840-1842), some changes also occurred in the ecology of China. It is the ecological idea of saying people come first. The ecological idea was said and not set up at that time. For example, Lin Zexu banned opium-smoking and the opium trade, destroyed the opium with quick lime, and it flowede into the ocean along the tidewater. Then after the Opium War (1840-1842), China was in a relatively backward , confused state. The disaster that war brings naturally involved ecological change also. Blocks of royal
gardens, which had been burnt by the allied forces of Great Britain and France like Yuanmingyuan, were committed to the flames. The beauty spots were all destroyed.

17, Q: What kind of infringement did the Opium War (1840-1842) have on the
psychology of the people?
A: The people were in a kind of state of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. They were more remote, felt they were in a complete dark, confidence was insufficient in the ruling of feudalism, they literally hated colonial rule, What they should even give vent to, was destroying the psychology. Since the war caused changes to the people's psychology, their lives could not be normal like they were originally, production order, it was impossible to protect some living beings. People's life cannot all be protected, let alone a bird?

18, Q: The Opium War (1840-1842) was the beginning of China?s move towards semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The country later moved towards semi-colonial and semi-feudal society step by step. Now, it has been 55 years since the founding of the People?s Republic of China. In regards to these changes what are your deepest feelings?
A: My greatest thoughts and feelings are " no Communist Party , no new China ". Chinese people of different thoughts and feelings can stand up, but the international status of China is constantly improving. You can find this out from this Olympic Games too. The Chinese people's industry and bravery have made them very good at inventing and creating ever since ancient times, Chinese people of now are under the leadership of several generations. Leaders with central authorities, who pioneer and keep forging ahead constantly, who grow with each passing hour, to build the motherland. We became the third country to
master manned space-flight technology independently in the world. In 2003, Yang Liwei becomes the first person in the space of China. That is to say, the People's Republic of China built up over these 55 years , under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, politically, independence and the initiative; Economically, the development with rapid change, military science and technology is current in the world too, arranged before occupying the world too. The position in the United Nations, no matter where the Chinese go, we are proud of our nation.

Click here to go to Cheng Yan Di's Biography