When Empires Collide

Season 12, Episode 7: When Empires Collide
A depiction of the stacking room of an opium factory operating in India circa the early 1800s. Source: See page for author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A portrait of Lin Zexu, the Qing governor who ordered the destruction of British-produced opium and waged what is usually described as the first “war on drugs.” Source: Public Domain
A chart illustrating annual imports of opium into China from 1650 to 1880. Source: Philg88; Attribution: Wikimedia Foundation (www.wikimedia.org), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lin Zexu overseeing the destruction of recreational opium in 1839. Source: Public Domain
A painting depicting the first battle of Chuenpi. Source: Public Domain
A painting depicting the second battle of Chuenpi. Source: Public Domain
An illustration depicting the bombardment of Guangdong, which the British called Canton. Source: Public Domain
A depiction of the Battle of Chinkiang. Source: Public Domain
A painting which displays the many European factories which had been built on the coast of Guangdong. Source: Public Domain
An illustration of the fateful battle of Baliguao, in which the Qing forces were overrun defending the Baliquao bridge, allowing the British to take Beijing. Source: Public Domain