Second Opium War (oct 8, 1856 – oct 24, 1860)
Description:
While the Qing government was trying to quell the Taiping Rebellion, the British found an excuse to renew hostilities. In 1856 some Chinese officials boarded a British-registered ship while it was docked in Canton, arrested some Chinese crew members, and allegedly lowered the British flag. A British warship sailed up the Pearl River estuary and began bombarding Canton, and there were skirmishes between British and Chinese troops. Trading ceased as a stalemate ensued. The French decided to join the British military expedition.
After delays in assembling the forces in China, the allies began military operations in late 1857. They quickly captured Canton, and installed a more-compliant official. In May 1858 allied troops reached Tianjin and forced the Chinese into negotiations. The Treaty of Tianjin, signed in June 1858, provided;
1. Residence in Beijing for foreign envoys.
2. The opening of several new ports to Western trade and residence.
3. The right of foreign travel in the interior of China.
4. Freedom of movement for Christian missionaries
5. The importation of opium was legalized.
The British withdrew from Tianjin, but returned to the area in 1859 to ratify the treaties. The Chinese refused to let them pass at the mouth of the Hai River and proposed an alternate route to Beijing. The British-led forces decided against taking the other route and instead tried to push forward past. They were driven back with heavy casualties.
The Chinese subsequently refused to ratify the treaties, and the allies resumed hostilities. In 1860 a considerably larger force of warships and British and French troops destroyed the Dagu batteries, proceeded upriver to Tianjin, and captured Beijing; plundering and then burning the Yuanming Garden. Later that month the Chinese signed the Beijing Convention, in which they agreed to observe the treaties of Tianjin and also ceded to the British the southern portion of the Kowloon Peninsula adjacent to Hong Kong.
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