Lin Zexu: Chinese Official Who Fought the Opium War

Lin Zexu (1785-1850) was a Chinese scholar and official during the Qing dynasty. He is best known for his role in the First Opium War, during which he was appointed as the Imperial Commissioner responsible for suppressing the opium trade in China.

Lin Zexu was born in Fujian province and passed the imperial examination in 1808. He served as a local official before being appointed as the governor of Hunan province in 1837. In 1839, Lin was appointed as the Imperial Commissioner and was tasked with stopping the opium trade in Guangdong province.

Lin took a hardline stance against the British merchants who were importing opium into China, and he confiscated and destroyed over 20,000 chests of opium in Canton (now Guangzhou). This action angered the British, who responded by sending warships to China. This led to the First Opium War (1839-1842), in which China was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, which opened several ports to British trade and ceded Hong Kong to the British.

Lin Zexu was later exiled to Xinjiang province, where he died in 1850. He is remembered in China as a national hero who fought against foreign aggression and defended Chinese sovereignty.