How The Opium Trade Destroyed China’s Greatest Empire | Empires Of Silver | Absolute History

China's lust for silver helped establish their formidable economic position on the global stage. However, Western powers were reluctant to engage in silver trade and in their search for an alternative avenue they discovered something that would change history forever: Opium. As opium surged throughout the nation, it brought forth multifaceted societal issues, ultimately fueling the harrowing Opium Wars. These conflicts marked the onset of a devastating "Century of Humiliation" for China, leaving an indelible mark on its history and global standing

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[adityavyas]

The other aspect of Opium trade by the British was that Bengal saw many famines and millions died as farmers were forced to grow opium instead of rice and other food crops.

[MrLoobu]

"Tea takes hold quite rapidly. it's an addictive drug"

Sells fucking opium.

[lengray]

My dad, who was an engineer, educated at Purdue, was completely wrong in his understanding of the Opium War. He believed that the British were fighting to keep the Chinese from spreading opium all over the world.I think that a great many people thought that. He graduated in 1962. I think maybe it was the propaganda of that time.

[SWAROOPSKNAIR]

Pablo Escobar won’t even get an Internship at the Colonial British Empire.

[julianshepherd]

I suppose the British will get the blame just because we did it

[melissapinol]

I remember my mom telling me that the Opium Wars were about the noble British trying to keep opium "out" of China.
I suppose that is what she was taught in school.

[yenkassa]

So, the British were a large scale Pablo Escobar.

[就是妙妙]

The opium war was one of the biggest reason why China has a super strict policy on drugs today. Our 5000 years history almost ended because of it, an empire was brought down to its knees, and we sacrificed too much to get back on our feet. This is why today, any Chinese celebrity who has touched drugs in the Chinese mainstream society is deemed unforgivable, and even weed is considered way off limits. History was a great lesson, and we hope we will never forget

[Cymricus]

i’m 38 and it took me until now to realize i actually enjoy history

[conanmcclanahan]

That 3 minute intro deserves a TON of credit... I don't have an entire hour at this moment. But you SOLD me on this documentary!

[pdruiz]

At 40:35. This incorruptible Chinese official, Lin Zexu, tried his mighty best to stem the drug trade from British and American drug lords and drug traffickers in the 1830s. The Chinese are understandably proud of him, so Lin Zexu has a large statue in the middle of Chinatown in NYC commemorating his life and his sacrifices. When I used to live in Chinatown I would walk by that mighty statue of Lin Zexu practically every day. A constant reminder that the past is never dead. It's not even past.

[muktarahmed]

I love history, and this documentary so well made. Was invested on it to the very end

[garrettkato]

It’s crazy how North American medical industry did this to their own country.

[justinreilly]

There’s nothing more Victorian and British-square than having a mountain of Opium and giving it away for tea.

[grazryan]

I was so invested from start to finish! Very greatly done!

[danieltang]

A great and forthright documentary. My perspective is that I was born in Hong Kong and have now lived in the UK for almost 50 years. I remember when I was a kid that we used to play around our houses and now and again we used to find tiny terracotta pots buried in the soil. These little pots were containers for opium. To this day, I am still astonished that the Victorian Britain which was supposed to be a christian and moral country would allow such an ugly trade of tea for opium. I no longer harbour any bitterness. But to many Chinese, they still have a sense of entrenched indignation and insult. Sadly this might be reflected in the mindset of the increasingly powerful Chinese ruling leadership.

[pdruiz]

At 23:55. Well, the Chinese were not stupid. They had read and heard about the British conquest of India from the 1750s right on through the 1810s and 1820s. Great and powerful India--the mighty land of the Buddha and the Buddhist scriptures--was now a mere colony of the British. This rightfully made the Chinese authorities suspicious and scared that the British were aiming to set up a colony in China next.

[gomezleonardo]

The documentary was exceptionally insightful. As an American PhD student specializing in Chinese affairs, currently residing in Guangzhou, I found its portrayal of the city to be enchanting, capturing its beauty and the myriad of undisclosed intricacies within. In my scholarly opinion, Canton is indisputably a pivotal region in China. The documentary's emphasis on the impacts of the opium wars was both truthful and precise. The work done here is nothing short of tremendous.

[donvillarante]

I guess East India Company is the world's first cartel

[wagherbert]

A truly exceptional documentary on a fascinating period of history. Thank you.