First Opium War
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Was a war between Qing China and the British Empire whose immediate cause was the Chinese prohibition against opium trafficking by British merchants. At the end of the war Hong Kong Island (part of modern-day Hong Kong) was ceded to Britain.
Chronology
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October 1841: During the First Opium War, British forces led by Captain Charles Elliot captured Zhenhai in 1841, enabling them to take control of Ningpo without facing resistance. This military occupation was part of Britain's efforts to secure trading rights and expand their influence in China.
August 1841: Battle of Amoy.
February 1841: Battle of First Bar.
October 1841: A British naval force bombarded and captured a fort on the outskirts of Ningbo.
March 1842: When pursuing the retreating Chinese army after the Battle of Ningpo, the British captured the nearby city of Cixi on 15 March.
June 1842: After the Battle of Woosung, the British captured the towns of Wusong and Baoshan.
June 1842: During the First Opium War, British forces led by Captain Charles Elliot occupied the outskirts of Shanghai in 1842. This military occupation was part of the Treaty of Nanking, which ceded the territory to Great Britain.
May 1841: In 1841, during the First Opium War, British forces led by Captain Charles Elliot occupied Canton after the fighting subsided. This marked a significant moment in the conflict between Britain and China over trade and opium.
May 1841: On 25 May, and the British counter-attacked, taking the last four Qing forts above Canton and bombarding the city. The Qing army fled in panic when the city heights were taken, and the British pursued them into the countryside.
January 1841: In 1841, during the First Opium War, British forces led by Admiral Sir Hugh Gough and Captain Charles Elliot achieved a significant victory in the Second Battle of Chuenpi. The British fleet destroyed 11 Chinese junks and captured the Humen forts, solidifying their military occupation of the territory.
May 1842: During the First Opium War, British forces led by Captain Charles Elliot captured the strategic port of Zhapu in 1842. This victory allowed Great Britain to establish military occupation in the area.
July 1840: British forces captured Chusan.
June 1842: The mouth of the Huangpu River was captured by the British fleet.
September 1841: The Qing army retook the city of Xiamen and restored order.
July 1842: Battle of Chinkiang.
May 1841: Following the capture of Canton, the British command and the governor-general of Canton agreed to a cease-fire in the region. Under the terms of the limited peace (later widely referred to as "The Ransom of Canton"), the British were paid to withdraw beyond the Bogue forts, an action they completed by 31 May.
March 1841: Battle of Whampoa.
October 1841: Chusan had been exchanged for Hong Kong on the authority of Qishan in January 1841, after which the island had been re-garrisoned by the Qing. Fearing that the Chinese would improve the island's defences, the British began a military invasion. The British attacked the Qing on 1 October. The battle of the Second Capture of Chusan ensued. The British forces killed 1500 Qing soldiers and captured Chusan.
March 1841: British attacked Canton, taking the Thirteen Factories (the sole warehouses of Western trade in China at the time).
Was an agreement between the British Empire and the Qing Dynasty during the First Opium War.
January 1841: In 1841, during the First Opium War, the forts in Chusan were restored to the Qing Dynasty on 21 January. The ceremony was conducted by Captain James Scott, who was serving as the temporary governor of the fort at Chuenpi.
January 1841: British Commodore Bremer took formal possession of Hong Kong.
Was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War.
June 1843: The Treaty of Nanking was a peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (Great Britain left the territories occupied in Qing China).
Selected Sources
The Opening to China Part I: the First Opium War, the United States, and the Treaty of Wangxia, 1839–1844. Office of the Historian. Retrieved on 30 march 2024 on https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/china-1
