and, some historians maintain that opium was employed by the British to gain a grip on Chinese trade in violation of Chinese regulations. It is clear, regardless of one's position, that as early as 1800, the Chinese emperor had issued an edict prohibiting the import and abuse of opium from India, but the British colonial authorities continued to supply China with this product (Hap, 2003).
The opium wars as described by Wallbank, Taylor, Bailkey, Jewsbury, Lewis, and Hackett (1992) were a direct result of the British refusal to tolerate strict Chinese regulations on opium imports and the direct Chinese assault on British merchant ships that carried opium. In response to Chinese takeover of British ships and the destruction of the opium cargo, the British occupied positions around China and ultimately, through the Treaty of Nanking, ac
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