"Homo Sapiens is the only animal that will eat non-nutritive substances for the effect they have on the mind."(1) Among many others, one substance that humans use for this purpose is opium. Opium is produced from the seed pod of the papaver somniferum, the poppy. A seemingly innocent plant, pretty and delicate, exudes a white sap; a sap that man can use for pleasure, but at a high cost: the state of his nation, threatening his society.

Opium has been used in China for centuries. But, it was not until the opening of the trade with Britain that China was able to import the drug in mass quantities. For years, China exported tea, silk, and porcelain to Britain in exchange for cotton. China, thinking it's ways were superior, thought that they did not have any need for cotton because silk is all China needed. This confidence in superiority spawned an alternative to the cotton import: opium.

The effect of Opium on a society is something that China is now seeing. It can ruin an entire nation. Each body that this drug affects is in harm. It has a big toll on your brain and central nervous system. Wen Ho Lee, a scientist in Beijing, recently divulged his newest findings on the drug: "There is only one substance in the world capable of acting in this way and that is opium. To those who use it is a plant of joy, perpetual sleep, the god of sleep; to them, it is more important than anything. That is why this demon is so dangerous. It can take hold of societies and slowly pick them apart. It is a virus for society"

Another controversial quote on the subject of Opium is coming from the Commissioner of Canton, Lin Xixu, seeking diplomatic help from Queen Victoria: " All those people in China who sell opium or smoke opium should receive the death penalty. We trace the crime of those barbarians who through the years have been selling, then the deep harm they wrought and the great profit they have usurped should fundamentally justify their execution according to law." (2)

"Suppose there were people from another country who carried opium for sale to England and seduced your people into buying and smoking it?" says Zixu, "May you, O King, check your wicked and sift your wicked people before they come to China, in order to guarantee the peace of your nation, to show further the sincerity of your politeness and submursiveness, and to let the two countries enjoy together the blessings of peace How fortunate, how fortunate indeed! After receiving this dispatch will you immediately give us a prompt reply regarding the details and circumstances of your cutting off the opium traffic. be sure not to put this off. The above is what has to be communicated." (3)

The words of these men seem even more important for China at this point in time. It comes on the heels of the countries defeat in the Opium War. China, once again, tried to show it's superiority to the western world by challenging Britain: dumping their precious opium into the depths of the South China Sea. In effect, China declared war on Britain by doing this and in 1839 they went to war. The British swiftly defeated the poorly organized Chinese. "We had no chance at beating them, they are superior to our forces in every way. We need to surrender to these western states. We must admit defeat before it is too late. We can not be so confident in our superiority." Says a political leader from Beijing, Nanking Yangtzee. Another commissioner offers his opinions: "The western countries just wanted to penetrate our large markets. They used the Opium incident to wage a war to get further into our land." (4)

The sentiment of defeat and humiliation is something that is spreading throughout China. The Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 really showed the Chinese people that maybe they were not the superiors and the Westerners were not Barbarians. They began to question if their beliefs were backwards and wrong. It changed the mentality of many people. The most painful and humiliating thing for the Chinese people in the treaty was extraterritorality that the British exercised. It was an insult for foreigners to live on Chinese land and live under foreign laws. It basically said that the Chinese laws were not good enough for Europeans. "I don't think that it is fair that they get to live under British laws in our homeland. It is an insult to me and the people of my country." said a local rice farmer. "How can my people continue to take this abuse from these nations. I know that I can't take it any longer. Our government needs to act swiftly."

As the Opium War signaled the first stage of western penetration into China, one can't help but question what the Chinese government will do and how much more western influence China can take. Already, there is a noticeable change and their government is weakening. The failure of the Manchus to take care of domestic problems in China while trying to fend off western penetration is leading to revolt. The demise of China is in the near future. It may be time for China to finally admit defeat to Western nations and integrate and let the west penetrate. "We need to merge into the international community." says Ho Lee. It may be their only choice.

Sources:

1 J.M. Scott, White Poppy (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1969), 1-2

2 Ssuyu Teng and John Fairbank, "Chinese Cultural Studies: Lin Zixu (1839 CE) Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria," [http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/com-lin.html], 1995

3 Ssuyu Teng and John Fairbank, "Chinese Cultural Studies: Lin Zixu (1839 CE) Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria," [http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/com-lin.html], 1995

4 "The Opium War and the Opening of China" [http://historyliterature.homestead.com/files/extended.html], 1999

Images:

1 "Trade war: Britain acquires a barren rock" [www.cnn.com/WORLD/9706/ hk97/past/opium.wars/], 1997

2 "Drug war" [www.greeninformation.com/ DRUGWAR.htm], 2000