#104 Opium War in History and Memory

Two young visitors to the Opium War Museum in Dongguan, Guangdong. Source: City Weekend.​

Quick reflection on reading strategy:

• How long did it take to complete this selection?
• Were you able to try the strategy? What seemed helpful? What less so?

Summary of events:

• We relied on the reading assignment for Friday in Wealth and Power for the narrative that took us between the Daoguang emperor’s dispatch of Lin Zexu to Guangzhou in 1839 and the end of what historians call the First Opium War.
• What are some key details we should know about Lin’s actions, the conflict, and the Treaty of Nanjing signed in 1842?

The author:

• I want to address the same question with this selection that we addressed when we began Wealth and Power, namely:
  • Who is the author?
  • What are her credentials for discussing the Opium War and modern Chinese history?

Sticky note exercise:

• Identify a sentence or portion of a sentence from the text that you think was important, provocative, confusing, questionable, or otherwise noteworthy. Write that passage on a sticky note, and then stick your note on the board. (You are welcome to do this twice).
• As a group, find a way to organize these selections. Use a board marker to make the categories and connections clear.

Further discussion:

• What are some of the ways that the history of the Opium War(s) in China has been discussed in the years since 1989? What might be some reasons for this change?
• Based on what you could gather from the conclusion, how is history education different from history education in the United States? Do you see them different in degree or in kind? What about similarities?
• What is the best way for a nation to remember painful, even shameful, episodes from the past?
  
• For what purpose do you believe history should be taught?