The Opium Problem Of China During The Nineteenth Century...

The opium problem in China during the nineteenth century was primarily viewed as an issue created by foreign traders bringing opium into their empire. Zhu Zun and Xu Naiji wrote memoranda in 1863 elucidating their diverging view to the government on how to combat the issue of opium use and trade. Xu advocated for the relaxing of anti-opium laws as a means of reducing illegal smuggling, while Zhu contends that more stringent enforcement of anti-opium laws is the preferable policy, which Commissioner Lin supports in his edict to foreign traders. Xu’s memorandum advocates for the government allowing opium to be brought into China by foreign traders as a taxable good as the best way to combat the opium problem. Xu views strict laws against opium as ineffectual for tackling the drug problem in China, noting in the first paragraph that, â€Å"the more severe the interdicts against [opium] are made, the more widely do the evils arising therefrom spread† (Xu page 1). While he acknowledges the addictive and destructive effects of opium on those who use it, Xu believes that the stricter the laws proscribing the dissemination and use of opium, the more widely used the drug becomes. Xu argues that the prohibitions against the opium trade led to increased smuggling by foreign traders and increased use of the drug across China. Conversely, when the state’s policy towards opium was one of leniency, in which opium was allowed into China and taxed as a medicine, the issues involving opium wereShow MoreRelatedChinese Im migration Of The United States985 Words   |  4 PagesChinese Immigration to the United States in the nineteenth century until 1870 was shaped by a combination of factors including internal political turmoil and financial instability throughout China, growing western Imperial and economic influences in South East Asia, China s deepening trade deficit with European nations, and industrial and technological innovations. 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