At the beginning of the 19th century, China
was the only country where tea could be
found. But there was a problem. China had reduced
trade with the West. As a consequence,
Britain sent a group of people to China and
asked the emperor to accept trading again.
The British wanted the Chinese to accept their
products in exchange for tea. They had tried
to show the Chinese emperor many goods in
order to persuade him to accept trading. But
the emperor was not interested. He explained
that they had everything they wanted and the
British products were not needed. The British
were disappointed, but they found a solution
to their problem. They possessed something
that the Chinese really loved. Opium. Opium
was not legal in China, but many people used
it anyway. Approximately 12 million people
were addicted. The British grew opium and
produced it in factories.