Lin Zexu

Lin Zexu (Traditional Chinese: 林則徐; pinyin: Lín Zéxú) (August 30, 1785 - November 22, 1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing dynasty. He is most famous for his fight against opium smuggling in Guangzhou, which is usually considered to be the primary catalyst for the First Opium War 1839-42. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (488x635, 26 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lin Zexu Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (488x635, 26 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lin Zexu Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... It has been suggested that Pinyin_method be merged into this article or section. ... August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: QÄ«ng cháo; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was a dynasty founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China, expanded into China and the surrounding territories, establishing the Empire... Opium, or opïum is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ... Guangzhou is the capital and the sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in southern mainland China. ... Combatants Qing China British East India Company Commanders Unknown Charles Elliot, Anthony Blaxland Stransham The First Opium War or the First Anglo-Chinese War was fought between Great Britain and the Qing Empire in China from 1839 to 1842 with the aim of forcing China to import British opium. ...

Lin was born in Fuzhou, in the Fujian province. In 1811 he received the Jinshi degree, the highest title in the imperial examinations, and the same year he was appointed to the prestigious Hanlin Academy. He rose rapidly through various grades of provincial service, and became Governor-General of Hunan and Hubei in 1837. Fuzhou (Chinese: 福州; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Fu-chou; EFEO: Fou-Tcheou; SLC: Hùk-cieu; also seen as Foochow or Fuchow) is the provincial seat and the largest prefecture-level city of Fujian province, Peoples Republic of China. ... (Chinese: 福建; Pinyin: Fújiàn; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ... For other province-level divisions, see Political divisions of China. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The imperial examinations (Chinese: 科舉; Pinyin: ) in dynastic China determined positions in the civil service based on merit and education, which promoted upward mobility among the population for centuries. ... The Hanlin Academy (翰林院) was founded in China in the 8th century. ... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

A formidable bureaucrat known for his thoroughness and integrity, Lin was sent to Guangdong to halt the importation of opium by the British prior to the First Opium War (1838). He confiscated more than 20,000 chests of opium already at the port and supervised their destruction. He later blockaded the port from European ships. Lin also wrote a letter to Queen Victoria of Britain warning her that China was adopting a stricter policy towards everyone, Chinese or foreign, who brought opium into China. This letter expressed a desire that Victoria would act "in accordance with decent feeling" and support his efforts. The letter was never delivered to the queen, though it was published in The Times^[1] . Open hostilities between China and Britain started in 1839. Guangdong, often spelt as Kwangtung, is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ...

Lin's failure to secure a decisive victory against the British led to his replacement by Qishan in September 1840. As punishment for his failures, he was demoted and sent to exile in Ili in Xinjiang. However, the Chinese government still considered Lin to be an official of rare virtue, and sent him off to take care of difficult situations. He died in 1850 while on the way to Guangxi, where the government was sending him to help put down the Taiping Rebellion. He was a patriot of ability who attained an international reputation as "Commissioner Lin." He was opposed to the opening of the country, but felt the need of a better knowledge of foreigners, which drove him to collect much material for a geography of the world. He later gave this material to Wei Yuan, who published an Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms (Hǎiguó túzhì 海國圖志) in 1844. Qishan (琦善, 1790-1854) Manchu statesman during the Qing dynasty. ... Ili or Illi can refer to: Ili River Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For the county in Shanxi province, see Xinjiang County. ... Guangxi (Zhuang: Gvangjsih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西; Traditional Chinese: 廣西; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Kuang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kwangsi), full name Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Zhuang: Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih; old orthography: ; Simplified Chinese: 广西壮族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 廣西壯族自治區; Pinyin: GuÇŽngxÄ« Zhuàngzú ZìzhìqÅ«) is a Zhuang autonomous region of... In law, an alien is a person who is not a native or naturalized citizen of the land where they are found. ... Wei Yuan (魏源, 1794-1856). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

June 3, the day when Lin confiscated the crates of opium, is celebrated as Anti-Smoking Day in the Republic of China in Taiwan. Manhattan's Chatham Square, in Chinatown, contains a statue of Lin, commemorating his early struggle against drug use. June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... Today the country officially known as the Republic of China (ROC) is commonly known by the international community as Taiwan and occasionally as Chinese Taipei. It should not be confused with the other country officially known as the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), which is commonly known as China. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... Statue of Lin Tse-hsu Chatham Square or Kimlau Square in Manhattan is on the southern side of Chinatown, at the confluence of seven streets, Bowery, East Broadway, St. ... A Chinese lion helps usher in the 2006 Chinese New Year. ...

Reference

• Hummel, Arthur William, ed. Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912). 2 vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1943.

External links

• Text of Lin's Letter to Queen Victoria
• Lin Zexu Memorial
• Example of Lin Zexu’s calligraphy
• Lin Zexu’s residence
• (1832) Letter by Lin Zexu

• This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.

The New International Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia first published in the 1910s. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...