The First Opium War
The Opium took place during 1839-1842 and was between China and Britain Most believe that the opium war was a war based around the drug opium. This in fact is not true, it was really a war on free trade.
Guangzhou (Canton) Starting in 1760 China put up restrictions to foreign trade (mostly westerners) this restriction was called the canton system. This system limited foreign traders to only be able to trade from the port of Guangzhou (Canton). Later in the 1830's the East Indian Trading Company (British) started to smuggle opium into China. China only traded tea for silver at this time and because of the smuggling of opium they ended up trading tea for drugs. The opium addictions became prominent in China. This alarmed Emperor Manchu so in 1839 he sent Lin Zexu as Imperial Commissioner to deal with opium problem in Canton. He was sent with a bond/letter for the foreigners to sign that says they would cease the import of the drug. The foreigners resisted and abandoned Canton all together. Lin then followed up with a full restriction to all foreign trade. This is what forced the Opium War on China.
When the war started China had many people against them because foreign traders wanted China to be more open for trade. In 1840 the British showed up on the coast of China. Two years of the war had peace times and war times with talk of negotiation between the British and China. They finally settled on an agreement. The British wanted 6 million dollars in silver to cover the opium they lost to china in the beginning of the war as well as have direct contact with the officials in Canton. Both governments then claimed the agreement as invalid which led to the full scale attack on Canton in 1841. Desperate for a break Qing officials decided to sign over 6 million dollars in silver as a ransom for the city to the British. The British won this war mainly due to the fact that they had better military units than the Chinese did at the time.
Finally in 1842, the treaty of Nanjing was signed (one of the two unequal treaties), with a forced hand of the British (basically holding China at gunpoint). This treaty was for the Hong Kong Island to be ceded to Britain in perpetuity, China had to pay an indemnity of 21 million silver dollars to pay for the cost of the war, five ports had to be opened to foreign trade (one of which being Shanghai), a tariff agreement entailing China's loss of tariff autonomy, and the right of extraterritoriality (loss of Chinese jurisdiction over foreigners in China).
This war though not directly happening in Shanghai is what opened Shanghai up to be a trading port. One that was close to the water and that had established connections to all the cities further inland. The Opium war was the first steps to China becoming a major treaty port to foreigners including but not limited to the British.
Letter To Queen Victoria: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1839lin2.asp
Treaty of Nanjing: http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=18421
Guangzhou (Canton) Starting in 1760 China put up restrictions to foreign trade (mostly westerners) this restriction was called the canton system. This system limited foreign traders to only be able to trade from the port of Guangzhou (Canton). Later in the 1830's the East Indian Trading Company (British) started to smuggle opium into China. China only traded tea for silver at this time and because of the smuggling of opium they ended up trading tea for drugs. The opium addictions became prominent in China. This alarmed Emperor Manchu so in 1839 he sent Lin Zexu as Imperial Commissioner to deal with opium problem in Canton. He was sent with a bond/letter for the foreigners to sign that says they would cease the import of the drug. The foreigners resisted and abandoned Canton all together. Lin then followed up with a full restriction to all foreign trade. This is what forced the Opium War on China.
When the war started China had many people against them because foreign traders wanted China to be more open for trade. In 1840 the British showed up on the coast of China. Two years of the war had peace times and war times with talk of negotiation between the British and China. They finally settled on an agreement. The British wanted 6 million dollars in silver to cover the opium they lost to china in the beginning of the war as well as have direct contact with the officials in Canton. Both governments then claimed the agreement as invalid which led to the full scale attack on Canton in 1841. Desperate for a break Qing officials decided to sign over 6 million dollars in silver as a ransom for the city to the British. The British won this war mainly due to the fact that they had better military units than the Chinese did at the time.
Finally in 1842, the treaty of Nanjing was signed (one of the two unequal treaties), with a forced hand of the British (basically holding China at gunpoint). This treaty was for the Hong Kong Island to be ceded to Britain in perpetuity, China had to pay an indemnity of 21 million silver dollars to pay for the cost of the war, five ports had to be opened to foreign trade (one of which being Shanghai), a tariff agreement entailing China's loss of tariff autonomy, and the right of extraterritoriality (loss of Chinese jurisdiction over foreigners in China).
This war though not directly happening in Shanghai is what opened Shanghai up to be a trading port. One that was close to the water and that had established connections to all the cities further inland. The Opium war was the first steps to China becoming a major treaty port to foreigners including but not limited to the British.
Letter To Queen Victoria: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1839lin2.asp
Treaty of Nanjing: http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=18421