Although Humen succeeded in banning smoking, the anti-smoking movement in Qing Dynasty still ended in failure. One of the reasons is that the rulers are not determined to ban smoking. When Lin Zexu presented the number of opium boxes collected to Daoguang, Daoguang actually wanted to sell opium to the people in the imperial court! However, due to traffic difficulties, courtiers stopped them and so on. This shows how many people really banned smoking at that time;
The second is official corruption, which probably needs no explanation;
Third, there are many opium addicts among the people, and cigarette houses are everywhere;
……
The difficulty of banning smoking can be imagined.
However, Lin Zexu was able to destroy opium with the feat of Humen, showing his strong determination to ban smoking. Only with a high sense of responsibility for the rise and fall of the country and the nation can he be so determined to ban smoking. In this regard, I have to admire Lin Zexu's noble personality.
Attachment: For more information about the Opium War, please read Wei Wenhua's The Romance of the Opium War. I just finished reading it recently, which is closer to historical facts.
(The following is taken from Fujian Daily)
Enlightenment from the destruction of opium in Humen
160 years ago in June, smoke billowed from Humen Beach in Guangdong, covering the sky. Lin Zexu presided over the destruction of 6.5438+0.2 million kilograms of opium smuggled and imported by British colonists, which opened a glorious chapter in the history of human drug control. Marx praised: "Imperial envoy Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou and confiscated and burned smuggled opium according to his orders", which was the "culmination" of China government's anti-smoking measures for many years.
Drug control is an extremely complicated and arduous struggle in any era and any country. At that time, Lin Zexu faced both domestic and foreign opium smugglers who were plotting huge profits, corrupt officials who took bribes to cover up opium smuggling, and British colonists who took opium as the forerunner of aggression and held guns in their hands. It can be said that the non-smoking tour is full of obstacles. Then, why did Lin Zexu win the opium war in Humen in a short time?
A high sense of responsibility for the rise and fall of the country and the nation and a strong determination to eliminate the poison are the fundamental guarantee for Lin Zexu's victory. He knew for a long time that the scourge of opium was enough to destroy China. When he was ordered to ban smoking in Guangzhou, he put aside his personal fortune, honor and disgrace and vowed to save China from this catastrophe. As soon as he arrived in Guangzhou, he solemnly declared: "As long as the opium is inexhaustible, this minister will not return for a day, and he will swear to be with this matter. There is no reason to stop." No matter how the British colonists and opium dealers resisted, he resolutely took measures to force the British tobacco dealers to submit and hand over all smuggled opium. Correct and flexible policy measures are another important reason why opium was destroyed after Humen's victory. Lin Zexu strictly distinguishes between legal international trade and illegal opium smuggling, and between legal foreign businessmen and illegal profiteers. Legitimate businessmen are protected and encouraged, but opium dealers have to pay the price. Therefore, smoking ban has no effect on foreign trade. In June, Humen suppressed opium, and Huangpu imported more than a dozen foreign merchant ships. In the following six months, more than 60 merchant ships were imported from various countries, exceeding the number in previous years. Foreign businessmen brought a huge amount of silver of 2 million yuan, and China's foreign trade changed from silver outflow to silver inflow.
Pay attention to investigation and study, let Lin Zexu know himself and win the battle against smoking. In Beijing, he began to understand opium trafficking and British drug lords. On the way to Guangzhou, he never stopped investigating and studying, thus mastering the situation of a group of drug traffickers and criminals. When he arrived in Guangzhou, he took every opportunity to personally investigate and study, organized personnel to translate a large number of foreign newspapers and periodicals into books, which played a great role in understanding the outside world and correctly carrying out the struggle against the British colonists, and influenced the reform movement of later generations, and was hailed as the first person in China. At the same time, he deeply realized the people's hatred of the tobacco disaster, and relied on Guangdong people to investigate drug dealers' activities, expose corrupt officials, encourage patriotic gentry, set up non-governmental drug control institutions, and assist the government in collecting cigarettes and pipes.
Humen triumph destroyed opium, but also thanks to Lin Zexu's incorruptible style. When thirteen foreign businessmen in Guangzhou who colluded with foreign cigarette dealers were summoned collectively by Lin Zexu, Wu Shaorong, the leader of the "General Merchants", wanted to get away with a huge bribe. Lin Zexu angrily denounced in court: "I don't want money, I want your head." In this respect, foreigners at that time also respected it. Selflessness can be fearless, so he can resolutely fight against all evil forces.
Finally, I would like to mention Lin Zexu's fearless spirit in resisting foreign armed invasion. He was unwilling to be defeated by the British colonists, and he had foreseen the possible invasion. When meeting with foreign businessmen and missionaries, he declared: "We are not afraid of war." He personally inspected the coastal defense, reinforced the fortress, trained the navy and mobilized the people to prepare for the war. When the British attacked, the people of Guangzhou rose up against the enemy, which had a lot to do with Lin Zexu's mobilization and encouragement. Due to the strict combat readiness, in the early days of the Opium War, he commanded Guangdong soldiers and civilians to repel British armed ships many times. Later, the British army did not fight Guangzhou, but occupied Dinghai in the north and got stuck in Dagu. The main reason is that Guangzhou is rich in forests.
Lin Zexu's anti-drug thought and practice still have reference value for our anti-drug work today.
(Lin Zilong, granddaughter of Lin Zexu, former vice chairman of the Provincial Social Science Federation)