Lesson 2: The Second Opium War

Britain and France launched another war of aggression against China

After the Opium War, the Western powers were not satisfied with their vested interests and tried to further open up the Chinese market and expand their aggressive rights. Britain and France, with the support of Russia and the United States, launched the Second Opium War against China on the pretext of the "Yarrow Incident" and the "Mashin Fu Incident" respectively.

In October 1856, the British started the war by shelling Guangzhou. In 1858, the British and French allied forces marched northward, captured the Taku Fortress, and approached Tianjin. The Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Tianjin with Russia, the United States, Britain and France. Through these treaties, the Western powers were given the privilege of stationing foreign ministers in Beijing, opening ten more ports of commerce such as Hankow and Nanjing, and allowing foreign merchant ships and warships to sail freely in the ports of the Yangtze River. Subsequently, the Qing government was forced to recognize the legalization of the opium trade in the Treaty of Amity with Britain, France and the United States.

The Burning of Yuanmingyuan and the Treaty of Peking

The Treaty of Tianjin did not satisfy the invaders. i860, on the pretext that the exchange of treaties was blocked, the British and the French again occupied Tianjin and forced Beijing. In early October, the British and French allied forces looted the Yuanmingyuan, a famous royal garden in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing, and later set fire to it.

Subsequently, the British and French allied forces occupied the Andingmen Gate and took control of the city of Beijing, and threatened to attack the palace directly. Yikin was forced to exchange instruments of ratification of the Treaty of Tianjin with Russia, Britain, France and the United States, and to sign the Treaty of Beijing between China, Britain and France. In the treaty, the Qing government not only recognized the continuation of the Treaty of Tianjin, but also opened Tianjin as a commercial port, ceded a district of Jiulongsi to Britain, and increased the amount of reparations.（357words）