CHINA

This was much less a treaty of how the two nations would interact with each other, than a joint statement to the world of opposition to any nation interfering with the internal affairs of another country.

The Chinese government at the time was hostile to all religions and particularly so to the Tibetan Buddhists led by the Dali Lama from exile. Centuries before, 20 million Chinese were killed in one year of religious rioting by the Great Peace, religious and political terror movement-sometimes called the "Yellow Turbans”. The leader, claimed to be the Brother of Jesus Christ come to convert and reform China. See {38318} and {619520}. Chinese government leaders have been fearful of organized religious movements that were not under government control since.

This attempt to restrict the opium trade led to the First Opium War between England and China. Some historians, and the Chinese at the time, characterized this as a legitimate attempt to rid China of a terribly debilitating vice. The English saw this as a protectionist measure against a trade agreement so that only Chinese businessmen could import and sell opium instead of competing with an open, free market. Some Chinese officials and advisors were motivated by one or both of these reasons, but they never considered at the time, general prohibition of opium. This was not done until the Empress Dowager prohibited the use of opium for all under 60 years of age in 1906, more than 70 years thereafter. See {641732}.

See {641733} for some background on the problem.

All ambassadors and diplomats and their offices were representatives of the Emperor – the “Son of Heaven” – who could not possibly have any relations with “barbarians”. The result was that China had no real foreign office or State Department.

The Chinese government at the time was hostile to all religions and particularly so to the Tibetan Buddhists led by the Dali Lama from exile. Centuries before, 20 million Chinese were killed in one year of religious rioting by the Great Peace, religious and political terror movement-sometimes called the "Yellow Turbans”. The leader, claimed to be the Brother of Jesus Christ come to convert and reform China. See {38318} and {619520}. Chinese government leaders have been fearful of organized religious movements that were not under government control since.

This was much less a treaty of how the two nations would interact with each other, than a joint statement to the world of opposition to any nation interfering with the internal affairs of another country.

See {641733} for some background on the problem.

This attempt to restrict the opium trade led to the First Opium War between England and China. Some historians, and the Chinese at the time, characterized this as a legitimate attempt to rid China of a terribly debilitating vice. The English saw this as a protectionist measure against a trade agreement so that only Chinese businessmen could import and sell opium instead of competing with an open, free market. Some Chinese officials and advisors were motivated by one or both of these reasons, but they never considered at the time, general prohibition of opium. This was not done until the Empress Dowager prohibited the use of opium for all under 60 years of age in 1906, more than 70 years thereafter. See {641732}.

All ambassadors and diplomats and their offices were representatives of the Emperor – the “Son of Heaven” – who could not possibly have any relations with “barbarians”. The result was that China had no real foreign office or State Department.