Opium Wars

British  

plural noun

1. two wars (1839–42; 1856–60) between China and Britain resulting from the Chinese refusal to allow the importation of opium from India. China ceded Hong Kong after the British victory in 1842. The British and French victory in the second war established free trade in Chinese ports and the legalization of the opium trade

---

Example Sentences

Kuang is beloved for her historical fantasy novels: the “Poppy War” trilogy, inspired by China’s Opium Wars, and “Babel,” a critique of colonialism set in an alternate-universe Oxford.

From Seattle Times

Hong Kong became a British colony after two Opium Wars in the 19th century and colonial rule lasted for 156 years.

From BBC

Hong Kong was wrested from China by Britain in three phases, starting with the mid-19th century Opium Wars.

From Reuters

Its colonial status was the result of a pair of 19th century treaties signed at the end of the first and second Opium Wars, along with the granting of a 99-year lease in 1898 to the New Territories, which greatly expanded the size of the colony.

From Seattle Times

One wing traces Chinese history from the Opium Wars all the way to Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao.

From Seattle Times