What happened: In view of the poison of opium, the Qing government appointed an imperial envoy Lin Zexu to destroy opium in Humen, Guangdong.
Results: Britain was dissatisfied with the destruction of opium in Humen, so Britain provoked the first anti-Qing opium war, which was defeated by the Qing Dynasty and forced to sign a series of agreements such as treaty of nanking.
Evaluation: The destruction of opium in Humen has become a historic event in the anti-drug struggle. June 3, which began with the destruction of opium in Humen, was designated as the No-Smoking Festival of the Republic of China, and June 26, the day after the end of cigarette sales, was also the International Anti-Drug Day.
Extended data:
The destruction of opium in Humen curbed the spread of opium in China to a certain extent and had a positive impact on the people. Secondly, the anti-smoking campaign has greatly raised the awareness of the general public in China about the dangers of opium, made many people see the essence of opium trafficking from Britain to China, and awakened the patriotic consciousness of the people in China. ?
After this incident, Lin Zexu, a hero who banned smoking, was honored as a national hero by the people of China. Its honesty and integrity are also respected by future generations. However, judging from the results, the achievement of "Humen exterminating opium" did not last, nor did it effectively rescue China from the quagmire, which provided an excuse for Britain to launch the war of aggression against China (previously for economic, cultural and political aggression).
The reason is that the anti-smoking movement directly harmed the interests of the British bourgeoisie, and the British government quickly decided to launch a long-planned war of aggression against China. "Humen destroyed opium" has also become the fuse for foreign powers to launch the opium war. From this perspective, the "Humen Opium War" is a symbol of China's accelerated semi-colonization and the beginning of China's modern history.