Answer:
- The English imperialists did not care about the growing number of opium addicts.
- England tried to dominate the sale, production and distribution of opium.
- The opium war resulted in England's domination of Hong Kong.
Explanation:
Opium was very popular in China, but it was used as an exclusively medicinal substance. However, when the United Kingdom saw the potential of this substance in China, it used India's poppy crops to produce opium and sell it to the Chinese as a domestic drug. This generated a large number of addicts in China promoting a serious public health problem and a social problem for the country.
To solve this problem, the Chinese government has proposed strong limitations to the opium trade in China. England, feeling hurt, imposed sanctions on China and demanded the payment of compensation that China refused to pay. This culminated in the opium war that was won by England.
With the victory, England demanded the legalization of opium commercialization in China, the opening of free ports, the entry of Christian missionaries into China and the taking over of Hong Kong.
