Second Opium War

The second Opium war, sometimes called the Arrow War, or the Second China War started on October 8, 1856. It then continued until October 18, 1860.At the time, Britain along with Europe and the US, all wanted to have commercial trades with China again. However, the Emperor refused these requests, and this made tensions rise.

The second war continued on from the first Opium war. Part of this was because of the Treaty of Nanking. It turned out that Britain wasn't satisfied with the result of the Treaty. Because they didn't meet their goals of improved trade and diplomatic relations with China

In the second Opium War (1856–60)—fought between a British-French alliance and China—the Chinese government was forced to legalize the trade, though it did fee a small import tax on opium. By that time opium imports to China had reached 50,000 to 60,000 chests a year, and they continued to increase for the next three decades.

British and French are supposedly just to establish their embassies, as set out in the Treaty of Tientsin, but then the Chinese initially did not allow them to come ashore so then British and French wiped out a Qing army of 10,000. China’s Summer Palaces were looted and burned. Since the British and its allies had their privileges to enter Beijing.

In total, approximately 2,900 Western troops were killed or wounded, while China had 12,000 to 30,000 killed or wounded. The Chinese were forced to accept the validity of the Treaties of Tianjin, surrender part of Kowloon to Britain, open Tianjin as a trade port, allow religious freedom, legalize the opium trade, and pay reparations to Britain and France. Though not a belligerent, Russia took advantage of China's weakness and concluded the Supplementary Treaty of Peking which gives approximately 400,000 square miles of territory to St. Petersburg.

In the 1850s, the British forced the issue by attacking the Chinese port cities of Guangzhou and Tianjin in the Second Opium War due to unsatisfied with China’s government unequal treaty (Nanking). The Anglo-French forces captured Guangzhou, Guangdong, and the Taku Forts near Tientsin (Tianjin). China surrendered, and was forced to sign the punitive Treaty of Tientsin in June of 1858. As a result, France, Russia, and the United States all signed treaties with China at Tianjin in quick succession in 1858. Benefit of the treaty: These treaties granted the Western powers a number of rights and privileges. The number of treaty ports increased, British-French and other allies diplomats were permitted to establish legations and live in Beijing. The agreements reached at Tianjin also set a new, low tariff for imported goods, giving foreign traders an important advantage.

In the following days, Prince Gong met with the Western diplomats and accepted the Convention of Peking. By the terms of the convention, the Chinese were forced to accept the validity of the Treaties of Tianjin, cede part of Kowloon to Britain, open Tianjin as a trade port, allow religious freedom, legalize the opium trade, and pay reparations to Britain and France. Though they did not participate in the war, Russia took advantage of China's weakness and concluded the Supplementary Treaty of Peking which surrendered approximately 400,000 square miles of territory to St. Petersburg.