The Opium Wars

The reason there was a opium wars was that the British needed something to trade with the Chinese because they didn't need anything from the British but the British needed things from the Chinese like tea and silver. When the British found out that they could sell opium, they sold it by the pounds of it. They sold chests of it which each weighed about 150 pounds. When the Chinese found out what is happening, they confiscated the chests and burned them but that didn't stop the British.To make sure that the drugs made it to the consumer, they sent warships. The Chinese was angry and started a war. They lost swiftly due to the fact that they weren't as technogically advanced as the British. The Chinese made a treaty with them that gave them Hong Kong and opened new ports for them. Other nations took the time to take advantage of the defeat of China and gained prots as well.