This urgent official document
of the Ministry of War
Shall be sent by prompt delivery
to Bao Xing, General of Shengjing!
This urgent official document
of the Ministry of Civil Service
Shall be sent by prompt delivery
to Qishan, Viceroy of Zhui Province!
This urgent official document
of the Ministry of Defense,
Shall be sent by prompt delivery
to Lin Zexu, Viceroy of Hu Guang
Rampant opium use has become
a serious threat to the Celestial Empire
In my opinion, if we do nothing,
within ten years...
the Qing Dynasty's treasury
will be drained and
the country will be defenseless
Foreigners could conquer our nation...
without using force
How dare you!
Summon Lin Zexu, Viceroy of Hu Guang,
to the capital at once
Master, here comes
His Excellency Lin Zexu
Lin, what...
This medicine has grown for a thousand
years at the bottom of the Dongling Lake
It's said that
this medicine can free you from
the habit of smoking opium for good
You might try it
I'm so ashamed of myself. I've weathered
the storms in civil service for 60 years
But failed to resist
the temptation of opium
Lin,
do you know
why you are summoned by His Majesty?
I'm afraid
it's about a strict ban on opium
Opium is the most abominable thing
China has ever seen
It leads people astray and ruins them
Even I have become addicted,
to say nothing of princes and ministers
in the capital
In my opinion,
opium smoking is dangerous
but to impose a strict ban on opium
is even more dangerous
I'd like to listen to your advice
It's so difficult
because customs officers take bribes and
high officials of central government
are corrupt
What's more, His Majesty is indecisive
It's really difficult
to predict the result
You must think twice
before you agree
to undertake any mission
I'll take your advice
Recently I wrote a poem,
and I'd like your comment
It may do you no good...
to be as courageous and
determined as you were young
It could not be a good sign
Lin Zexu, you're an important official
in my government
Right now, opium use is running rampant
Do you have any solution?
It is my opinion that
if Your Majesty issues an order,
the cabinet enacts prohibitions and
customs rigorously enforces them
I'm certain that opium can be wiped out
Are you sure? Is it that easy?
Your majesty's power
can destroy any monster
Since you are so confident,
I hope you will undertake this mission
Go to Guangdong to root out
the evil of opium
Your Majesty,
I am duly bound to sacrifice myself
for the Celestial Empire
But recently, I've been suffering
from various illnesses and
though I fear no death
I am afraid
I may fail in this important task
That would be an unpardonable mistake
I know a little about medicine
Let me check your pulse, your right hand
Your pulse is irregular
Shall I prescribe a good remedy?
How do I dare...
Lin Zexu,
the cause of your illness is threefold
One, you're afraid that
I won't delegate to you,
the power to carry out this mission
Two, you're afraid that government
officials may create obstacles
to make you give up halfway
Three, you fear that...
I may be capricious
and make unpredictable changes in policy
Is this the cause of your illness?
Your Majesty has keen insight
I do have these fears
I am not worried about my career
but I am truly concerned
about the future of the Celestial Empire
It has been 109 years since
Emperor Yongzheng issued an order...
to ban opium in the 7th year
of his reign
And yet opium use runs wild!
If we give up halfway this time,
no one would ever dare...
advocate an opium ban again
You still have no trust in me!
I will show you another remedy
Do you want to beg for mercy
on behalf of your teacher?
Your Majesty, my teacher is aged and
has been always loyal
Lu Zifang is not only your teacher
but also mine
When I was five,
he taught me painting
When I was six,
he taught me the Four Books
and Five Classics... Now...
Even princes and ministers have
taken up the habit of opium smoking
The sacred place of our Celestial Empire
will soon become a big opium den
The thousand-year-old medicine
can only cure one addict
but I want to cure the whole empire
Act on my edict: Remove Lu Zifang
from office and have him prosecuted
for his own crimes
Go!
Lin, His Majesty put me to death...
to show his determination...
to ban opium on the one hand,
and to cut off your retreat on the other
Lin, go ahead
I'll offer my head as a sacrifice
to bring you a success
I'll offer my head as a sacrifice
to bring you a success!
Go ahead, Lin!
Lin Zexu obeys Your Majesty's edict
I give my oath that I won't return
to the capital until opium is expunged
Daddy, you killed a seagull!
Yes, it's only a game
China...
Daddy, are we really going ashore?
Yes, go on, you'd better get changed
Qing Government doesn't welcome
young girls
God will be with you always, my son
Thank you
I like the story about Jesus
Unfortunately, books of this kind
are forbidden in the Celesial Empire
I can't take it ashore with me
Perhaps one day that will change, son
You look like a girl!
Give it back to me,
come on!
Mary, give it back!
He'll be beheaded if he's not wearing it
Beheaded? Why is that?
Yes!
Even if we're going abroad without
permission we'll get the same punishment
Oh yeah! I'm sorry
Denton
How are you. Your Excellency?
This is Captain White
How are you?
Your Excellency, the ship is ready...
for your inspection
Inspection
This suitcase will be sent
to your residence tonight
The Imperial Commissioner Lin,
the Imperial Commissioner will go
to Guangzhou pretty soon
You must observe all the regulations
and be careful
"Allowed to enter the port"
Shanzhi?
Father
Shanzhi
Father
It's all my fault...
Today, Father...
I...
My son!
Glad to see you again!
People said that
you had drowned in the sea,
but master refused to believe it
Our Yihe Company has been prospering
and we wouldn't let you die at sea
After the shipwreck,
I was rescued
by a foreign merchant ship, the Tuna
I had to work as a seaman
to gain my trip back home
The Tuna?
It is the British merchant Denton's ship
I helped him make a big fortune
How dare he treat you like a seaman!
Urgent message from 400 miles away
Urgent message from 400 miles away
Fine!
"If one is full of tolerance,
he will be generous
If one is free of greed,
he will be fearless"
Viceroy Deng's blindfolded calligraphy
is definitely a masterpiece of art
Viceroy Deng has great vision
and a magic hand
It is said that,
that is Lin Zexu's favourite couplet
In my opinion,
practising calligraphy is like,
handling matters of the state
And any slight wavering must be avoided
Just now I heard the voice of a courier
I think it must be
an urgent message sent by Lin
You're right
Where is Commissioner Lin now?
It is reported that he travels day and
night and has just passed Nanchang
He's still hundreds of miles away,
but his orders have reached us
Lin's men have already been
in Guangzhou
I'm afraid we are all on his list
Lin is really putting a lot of effort
into his mission
Denton, Denton
My son was shipwrecked in Southeast Asia
and I thank you for making him
as a seaman
Please... This Chinese is unbelievable
It is Mary!
Rong'er
Yes
This is my treat, cheers
Master
I'm told Lin Zexu wants to ban opium and
he was granted an audience with...
His Majesty once every day during,
his eight-day stay in the Capital
Well, I just have to send him 8 times
as many gifts of silver
Father, he will send him
a gift of silver eight times as much
I'm afraid Lin Zexu won't accept it
My father is old,
I'll marry you as soon as he dies
You are lying to me
Madam, here comes a customer
It's you who told me to try opium,
saying that opium can cure all diseases
I... I live on singing only and
I won't get further...
Now that you need six opium balls a day
How can I afford you?
Do you think
I can shit gold and piss silver?
Fine,
I will give you no more
No...
Go this way
Seal this place. Catch opium deals
Hurry up!
Sir...
No!
Not enough?
This is the best opium
No...
I just want you to stay for one night
No, I don't sleep with foreigners
Why not?
I am a man too
I came first,
whoever has to wait outside
Rong'er
Oh, it's Mr. He, and a foreign lady!
There're soldiers outside, let us in
It's dangerous outside
You are a slut!
Out of my way!
Daddy
What the deuce are you doing here?
How could you!
How did you find me?
I hate you!
Freeze!
Your Excellency!
You!
How dare you! Men, come here!
Take him away
Rong'er, get up quick
Soldiers are forcing their way in
Sister, get up now,
the Commander is Han
Your Excellency!
Rong'er
Go!
Go!
Where is Lin Zexu,
the Imperial Commissioner?
Your Excellency, when our boat arrived,
Commissioner Lin went ashore and
told me to escort the official seal
Raise the sedan chair
Yesterday I was told that
Lin Zexu had just passed Nanchang
I'm sorry. I was remissed in my duty
I do not have great vision
I think Lin Zexu has started
Investigations in the city
Tell Commander Han...
to arrest whoever appears in Lin's list
and execute them in public!
Go!
Hill, would you come take a look at this
By taking the heads of their own people,
they seek to imitate us. I think they do
There is an old Chinese saying,
"Kill the chicken and
terrify the monkey"
Those convicts are
the unfortunate chickens
And we, gentlemen,
are the unwelcome foreign monkeys
Start the execution
Peace on earth
This is too much
They carry on this dreadful business
right beneath our national flag
I don't want to die
Help! Help!
Mr. Denton, help me!
How dare you! Shut up!
Help!
Oh, no! He!
Mr. Denton, help!
Daddy, do something!
You just can't leave him there
Denton
He is my friend! No!
What did she say?
She said she knows Your Excellency
Please spare my life
Nonsense,
how can a foreign girl know me?
She said she saw your Excellency...
on board the Tuna
If your Excellency kills me,
she will go to Commissioner Lin
to sue Your Excellency
Please spare my life!
Mary!
She is my daughter. Come here!
Daddy
Let her go!
Brother Xiong, let me do it
Sir,
he is the son of the owner
of Yihe Company
he is not an opium dealer
Viceroy Deng, Governor Yi and
General Guan are coming to meet you
How fast they found me!
Tell them to stop the ex ecution
I wish you all good health
Your Excellency, please forgive us
for not having met you earlier
Have some tea please
General Guan, please
The convict is called He Shanzhi
the son of the owner of Yihe Company
we have held him in custody
It's He Shanzhi!
Take him to my office tomorrow
Yes sir
You've collaborated with
British merchants to trade in opium
and you've committed a heinous crime
against the Celestial Empire
I am wrongly accused
I have never traded in opium
I went abroad to do business in tea,
porcelain and other goods,
I came back from abroad only yesterday
And know nothing about...
what my father and Yihe Company
are doing
I hope Your Excellency will make
a thorough investigation
Since you can speak English,
I wonder if you can read it
Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu...
was born into a poor family in Fujian
He ranked the first in provincial
examination at the age of 20
and ranked the first
in palace examination at the age of 27
Since taking office, he has made
great achievements in taxation,
sea transportation and food control
As a result,
the Emperor laid much confidence in him
He is a strong and decisive leader,
and also...
Enough!
Do foreigners always get information
as quickly as this time?
I think so. The foreigners think that
he who gets the information earlier
earns more money
We also have a saying that
to know one's own situation and
his enemy's guarantees victory
in every battle
Since you know...
how foreigners make money,
do you know...
how they make ships and guns?
I know a little
In the past few years travelling at sea,
I've come to realize
how big the world is
I'll take the essence of
western knowledge to improve ourselves
I'll also give you
a chance to start a new life
Thank you, Your Excellency
Since you are young and innocent,
I'll forgive you and,
appoint you as my interpreter
to investigate foreign affairs
You must find out in three days
how the British government deals
with the opium problem in their homeland
I'm willing to do my best
I can pardon you, but not your father
Where did the huge quantity
of opium come from?
Your Excellency, pardon me please
Investigations show that,
you have been guarantors
for all foreign ships
who claim that they are free of opium,
and got through the customs
But now there is opium everywhere
breaking up millions of families,
killing millions of people
and robbing the Great Qing
of millions of tons of silver
Look at yourself
When everyone knows that you are
one of the richest in the country
How dare you fool me
by wearing patched clothes?
He Jingrong
I'm ready to forfeit all my assets
to the government
I don't want just your money,
I want your life too
What officials collaborate with you?
However rich you may be,
you are a common citizen
How can you resell such a large quantity
of opium without any help?
There must be some official secrecity
working with you
Confess now
I don't have the nerve
to bribe any officials
They demand that I abide by the law
I plead guilty, it's all
because of my greed, avarice and...
I want you to deliver an edict
to the foreign merchants and
to the people of Denton's party
Our emperor bestows his kindness
upon people from all over the world
That's why His Majesty grants
his approval for international trade
To reciprocate their
thanks to His Majesty,
these merchants must observe our laws
They can make profit,
but never at the expense of other people
My days are numbered,
so are your golden days
The Qing Government is treating us
like a bunch of criminals...
Gentlemen... it's time to take a vote
For me, money is like a trade wind,
easy come, easy go
I've no objection to turn in the opium
You don't have any opium
Only you've got is a big mouth!
Me, I'm a sailor
Money is important to me
But more important to me is fair play
These people have never
treated us fairly
If we back down now,
these savages will treat us like slaves
I'm against bloodshed
I say we agree to their terms
but we can teach them to negotiate
in a civil manner
Listen... I've seen people smoking opium
And I know what opium means, too
It's horrible!
Denton, He Jingrong is your broker
And you made a large fortune
with his help
Now's your chance to pay him back
Well, of course
we all know He Jing-rong is innocent
They're just using him to frighten us
We may no more say
he is guilty than opium itself
As Mary, a young girl is naive
Naturally, her vote is dictated
by her feelings
But we're grown men,
all we know that
what we are expecting here is war
A war, gentlemen. We should be prepared
to sacrifice our personal feelings
for our country
Yes!
I'm terribly sorry Mr. He
The imperial kingdom has its laws
And we have our principles
What an ugly Chinese calligraphy!
How impertinent they misspell "Lin Zexu"
And to hang two swords over our heads
They keep talking about the trade
between the two countries,
but over the vast expanse of land
under the heaven
there exists no counterpart
to the Celestial Empire
This is not a diplomatic note,
but a war declaration
It's a war declaration
They are trying to sound me out
That's good
Let me show the world
our Celestial Empire's determinations
to ban opium
Besiege
all the British mansions at once!
Get back!
Take off your wig. Wear your hat
Lin Sheng, what do you think of...
my interpreter in foreign clothes?
Like a little devil
from the nether world
Let's see
how he eats with foreign tableware
What do you think?
It's clumsy to use both hands!
Well, look!
The foreign tableware...
requires the use of both hands
our chopsticks require one hand only
Yes
and have greater adaptability
Your Excellency
a priest from
the British Chamber of Commerce...
came out with a white flag
Our soldiers took Him
Where is he now?
In the front hall
Your Excellency, I do not represent
the British Chamber of Commerce
I'm here on my own behalf
Whether you come alone or
with all your people
I am ready to meet you here
I support your ban on opium
but cutting off water and food supply
is endangering their lives
Cutting off food and water
is not humane behaviour
He said, cutting off food and water
is not humane behaviour
In the name of God, I'm here
to implore you to lift the blockade
It's only been three days that
you have been cut off supplies and
you condemn it as inhumane
What about a country that
has been broken apart for the last
hundred years and the millions of people
that died or whose families
have been ruined because of opium?
Who is going to sympathize with them?
Where is your God?
Where is...
your humanitarian principle?
Look!
These English newspapers...
have reported clearly strict bans on,
opium smoking in your own country
by your Queen
and she has also issued prohibitions
to the British merchants
One of them is...
"Contraband must not be shipped
to Guangzhou"
So, can I ask you...
why Denton and
his like defy the Queen and
introduce this illegal stuff to China?
This drug has driven China
to the verge of destruction
I use the blockade only as a last resort
I'd like you to convey a message:
You have enjoyed our tolerance
for a hundred years until today
We won't yield an inch any more
If Your Excellency refuses
to lift the blockade,
I'm afraid that...
they'll go on a hunger protest
Let them do it,
and I'll follow suit
If they starve to death,
I'll go down to hell to express
my good wishes
Please
If any of them starve to death,
I'm afraid it will mean trouble
I'm not afraid of these foreigners,
but...
But His Majesty may be afraid of them
What I really fear is that
if the traitors are not eliminated,
they will bring opium back
to this country
Master, the Yihe Company has been closed
by the authorities and
we are ordered to turn in
all the account books
Luckily I've made preparations for it
Rengui, if I don't live through this,
I want you to look after Shanzhi
I'll get you out of here, Father
I promise
Lin Zexu and the foreigners are going
to have direct confrontations
Trapped between the parties,
I don't stand a chance of surviving
Forget about me
Just take good care of yourself
Lin Zexu is shrewd and merciless
You must be very careful
when you work for him
Father, I'll implore Lin Zexu...
to redeem you with our assets
Money doesn't work any more,
not with Lin Zexu
I've left with Rengui
our full set of account books
you might pass to Lin if needed
They might help
Father! Master!
These are the deeds
for all our land and houses
My father wishes to turn them over
to Your Excellency
Very good. We need financing
for building warships and cannons
and your money can be of great help
Yes
What are these?
My father confesses his crime
to Your Excellency
and these are the account books of
the Yihe Company for the past 19 years
They recorded the amount of silver
he has used for bribing the officials
No one else has seen this
There might be some hidden causes
in my father's case
Please make a thorough investigation,
Your Excellency
He Jingrong deserves...
capital punishment for this!
Your Excellency...
The Yihe Company has been bribing
the government officials and
collaborating with foreigners
Now you're here
to blackmail the authorities...
with these confidential records
How many officials are on your list?
You have good reason to put Han Zhaoqing
on the list, who took million taels
But why did you record those...
who have received only a trifling amount?
What do you want from me?
Kill all the officials...
in Guangzhou?
Or start an internal confrontation when
we are facing a strong enemy outside?
You're despicable
Get out!
According to the law of the Great Qing,
any official found listing opium...
will be stripped of his title,
dismissed from office and exiled
Which I'm sure you all know
But I'm not sure if there has been
any transgression among you
No. No!
Very good!
What we are here for today is meditation
I want you to sit here for six hours
If you are still in good shape
after these hours,
you may leave
If anyone of you cannot stand it,
leave your official hat here
and wait for prosecution
I want to see how long you could last!
Out of every 10,000 chests of opium
that you allowed to enter,
you would take 200
and say it was confiscated
Hiding the truth and reporting...
as your achievements
to the Imperial Court
You're...
a greater evil than the opium smugglers!
The reputation and morality
of this Celestial Empire...
are ruined by scoundrels like you
As officials appointed
by the Imperial Court,
you should be examples
to the general public
There's a question I want to ask you
Can anyone of you dare to say that
I...
you have never received a bribe?
If you can, come forward and
receive my three bows of respect
Put him in jail
Keep any eye on him day and night
Someone might kill him
to evade prosecution
Your Excellency, I...
The Yihe Company fabricated...
these secret account books to frame you
and to redeem He Jingrong
How stupid they are!
Your Excellency, I...
To err is human
Your Excellency
General Guan, it's you who should
receive my three bows of respect
Your Excellency,
I'm no scholar, but a soldier
I didn't understand
the couplet on the wall until now
I'm willing to face any danger and to do
whatever Your Excellency wants me to
I pledge my life to fight
for our common cause
with Your Excellency
Fighting opium will be
a lengthy struggle
Now that we three are...
in the same boat,
we must work hard together
to eradicate this opium
that poisons our country
Well gentlemen,
it's good to see the flag still flying
I'm here, by the Grace of God
Now, in the face of this unexpected
Chinese violation of
our limited resources
and indeed the dignity of the Queen
I'm henceforward taking
full responsibility...
for the property and the well-being
of the British community here in China
They're savages!
They're bottling us up to death
We want our ships back
We want our cargo!
We've been here long enough, gentlemen
Kill them!
We've been stuck here for a long time
I'm not turning in my opium,
not one ounce
Gentlemen...
Let's not lose our heads
Now, trade is booming here
Don't let's kill the goose
that lays the golden egg
Are you with me?
What choice do we have?
What plan you have in mind?
Very well, I'll arrange safe passage...
for you all to leave Guangzhou,
in the next ten days
What about our opium?
In the next ten days,
I said, having first handed-in
all your opium stocks
Every last ounce of it
I'd better stay!
You're out of your mind, Captain Elliot
I've never heard of such lunacy
Well... if it isn't Mr. Denton
Risen from the gutter by cheating,
swindling and embezzling and tax evasion
Would you like me to carry on listing
your crimes against
Her Majesty's government?
That's slander, Captain Elliot
As for you, Mr. White,
I remember you from the Spanish Maine,
you're nothing more than a smuggler
How dare you?
What about you, Lawrence?
There's not much left in Britain for you
is there? Except for 5 years in jail
You're all fat greedy, rogues,
everyone of you
I'm not here
to help you line your pockets
I'm here to protect
Great Britain's trade with China
Now, here is what I propose
I'm offering you all a guarantee of
full indemnity against all your losses
Who's going to pay?
How much are you going to pay?
And what authority, may I ask,
do you have to offer such warranties?
Does the British government
know it will cost them
I will say in excess of
What's the prime minister going
to have to say about that?
We have to wait and see
Well, Denton. And in any event
we don't have much choice, do we?
What do you mean?
We're blockaded, are we not?
You want to sit here in this hell hole
until we rot?
No!
You call me a criminal
They'll hang you back home for this
Don't mind about me
The Chinese have got you all in a noose
Now, they all want a guarantee
I shall be signing them in my office
Your Majesty,
The English merchants...
are subdued by your heavenly power
and have surrendered all the opium
in their possession
Thus the opium catastrophe that
has plagued China for a hundred years
is completely eradicated
and the untamed overseas nationals...
are rendered subservient
to the Celestial Empire
I, Miannin,
the emperor of the Great Qing
humbly report to the Imperial Heaven
and Land and to the reverent ancestors:
The opium catastrophe that has plagued
this land for a hundred years
is completely eradicated
in April, the 19th year
of the reign of Emperor Daoguang
Hence the heavenly rules
are strengthened
and the whole land is brought to peace
Send my order to Lin Zexu:
All the confiscated opium
is to be destroyed in public
Witnessed by the people
at home and front abroad
so that the untamed overseas nationals
Upon the order of His Majesty,
destroy the opium now!
Upon the order of His Majesty,
destroy the opium now
Upon the order of His Majesty,
destroy the opium now
Your Excellency, it's time now
To the English Queen...
from the Imperial Commissioner
Lin Zexu...
I know you're very pleased
with yourself, Elliot
you've sold us down the river,
they are treating us like scum
Go, Go...
because he has considered it
as beneficial to the people all
over the world
Therefore what I'm imposing
is a ban on opium,
not trade
You all should be grateful
to the celestial kindness,
and abide by the Law
Damn you, Elliot! Damn you to hell!
Danton, wait
Don't be such an obstinate fool
You're a traitor to us and
to your country
Listen to me, Denton
I want you to take this letter
to Lord Palmerston
What am I now, your errand boy?
In person. Please
Tell him what's going on here
Tell him the Chinese has just burnt
of the British government
British government stock?
That opium was ours
You all have copies of my guarantee
Well, the opium they've just burnt
is now officially the property
of our Majesty's government
Do you pretend that
your guarantee still holds good?
Of course!
Damn it, Elliot, you know perfectly well
that the British government...
will never part me eight million pounds?
No, perhaps not
But they might be persuaded to make sure
that somebody else does
Someone else? You mean the Chinese?
Precisely!
You're cunning devil, Elliot
You're sending me back home
to promote the war!
God help me. I'll leave right away
What's that?
The Imperial Commissioner wants you
to give this letter to your Queen
You told Lin that we will never withdraw
We'll wait off shore
That's where Britain's strength lies
Let's see!
You tell Lin that
we'll be back at Guangzhou!
Do you think...
the British would declare a war on us?
Well... I really don't know
Mr. Denton for the East India company's
bought us...
news of the deteriorating situation
in Guangzhou
Lives, properties of the citizens
are being threatened
British commercial chambers have formed
themselves a powerful lobby to...
To exert pressure from all directions
upon the government for
military interference
Merchants are interested only in money
Far more important is that the Chinese
do not treat us
with equality and fairness
We shall not let them insult the dignity
and honour of her Majesty the Queen
The government is not involved
in the opium trade
that is a free trade conducted
by private business
Gentlemen, I take pride in informing you
that some wise men have been engaged
for some time in preparing maps of China
ever since McCartney's visit there
Here, on the table, we have a map
which shows all rivers, all harbours,
all the fortifications
A map much more accurate than anything
they have in their imperial palace
As for the Chinese marine force,
it's a fleet of fishing
boats if anything
A priest convinced us yesterday
that one British warship could
sink 10 Chinese warships
Do you believe what he said?
No, I do not
I believe one British warship
could destroy
the whole Chinese Marine force
So what have you brought me,
my dear friends?
Budget, deficit or war in India?
Your Majesty,
I'm inviting you to cut the ribbon
for a new railway
That's wonderful, I'll do it
By the way... there's something important
that Palmerston has to report you
In China, Your Majesty,
Lin Zexu has destroyed
and is driving all the British residents
out of Guangzhou
Well, what shall we do then?
We're looking forward
to your instructions
But I hear
you're already assembling marine forces
This is the sample of a new stamp
to be released shortly
What do you think?
She looks prettier, doesn't she?
Your Majesty, the world is never
short of beautiful women,
but there is only one British Queen
Thank you for your honesty, Melbourne
The stamp will be distributed to
every country in the British Empire
My dear, where there is sunshine,
there is your image
And in China, too?
Your Majesty,
the Cabinet is looking forward
to your support
for the motion to send the army to China
and for parliamentary
support of military appropriations
Now tell me
what kind of a man Lin Zexu is
Well... he's a strong-will, unrefined,
loyal to his emperor,
liable to go to extremes...
I confess that our knowledge of
that thousand-year-old empire...
is somewhat limited
I wish I could see him
in Madame Tussaud's Museum
If I were in Lin Zexu's position
I would also burn all the opium...
But now, it's not the opium issue,
nor the issue of the lives and
properties of a few merchants
It's not even a matter of the dignity
of our British Flag and royalty
If all nations follow China's example
and reject free trade...
the British Empire will no longer exist
within a year
This is the reason for us to use force!
We must teach them
a lesson on free trade!
Gentlemen,
Britain has the responsibility...
to open up this last and
largest territory in the East
I hope you won't tell me one day that
this has been done by other countries
The fact is, whoever gets hold of China
will have the entire East
The 19th century
Load up
Load up
It seems that the English
don't intend to surrender or retreat
But what are they doing
just floating on the sea?
They must be waiting
for their Queen's order
The British people live on trade
Once the war starts,
trade will be stopped
What good would that do?
If Denton doesn't understand it,
the Queen certainly does
Order! Order!
I said order.
I call upon the
honorable member Pontious
There are four hundred million people
living in China
If that many people lived in Europe,
they would have separated
into hundreds of countries years ago
But the Chinese have always been ruled
by one emperor and spoken one language
Is this not formidable?
For 5,000 years!
Do you not think that
we should be making trade
with these people and not war?
They have banned the trade!
They've treated the British Empire badly
They really should be punished
Order...
The honourable members...
There is one thing that
I'd like to call your attention to
Britain has the most advanced industry
in the world
and China has the biggest market
If every Chinese were to lengthen
the lower hem of his shirt by one inch
All the British factories would be kept
Order... Order of the house!
Sir, Alexander Madison
Gentlemen, I know two strange names
Confucius and Zhuangzi
They lived in China over 2,000 years ago
before Aristotle and Socrates
And their thoughts are
even more profound than...
those of Socrates and Aristotle
And in all probability
it would take us generations
to understand the profundity
of their thoughts
and to understand China
It is a country with a huge wall
thousands of miles long in the north
and the great canal of
thousands of miles in the South
Mr. Speaker, it's a great nation
But even in sleep, they're unpredictable
Yes, we may be able to defeat them
But we can never conquer them
Mr. Speaker,
I have one ambition left in my life
It is to visit China
But I would rather swim the Atlantic...
than sail there in a battleship
Are you sure you're ready?
To tell you the truth,
the objection is so strong
and the motion will probably be rejected
Order...
Mr. Speaker. Honoured gentlemen,
I come before you to present
the plight of a group of defenseless
British subjects blockaded in an attempt
to starve them into submission
Made to surrender their property
in trade which was then destroyed
who were then driven from
their quarters in Guangzhou
to be confined aboard our ship without
food, without water, without medicine
There to float
under the pestilent heat of the sun
Before I set out
on my journey to England
I was obliged to take
even my daughter who, being sick,
was unable to travel with me
I may never see her alive again
And yet our glorious Union Jack
still flaps high on our mast
Gentlemen, your countrymen and your
sovereign have been grievously wronged
They look to you for reparation.
To that end, your
representative living in China
Captain Charles Elliot, gave me letters,
which I have delivered
to the Prime Minister
There are also gifts
to be delivered to the house
This is a piece of Chinese bronzeware
made over 2,000 years ago
This is adorned with figures
of sacred spirits
representing their highest ideals
Bronze was the strongest metal
then known to the world
Ever since that time the Chinese
have called themselves the Hans
This vase is carved
from a single piece of jade
It dates from the Tang Dynasty
the golden age of China
Not only was this the most prosperous
period in the history of China,
the Tang was also the most civilized
and cultured people in the world
This is a work of art
from the China of the day
Like the great Qing Dynasty
it represents
It appears sumptuously rich,
plump and proud
It looks down on all around it
including the bronze and the jade
And yet it is filled with nothing
but self importance
One touch and
it will shatter into pieces
This is the China I offer you
I want to go home...
Mr. Elliot, I like to remind you that
our food stocks are running low
We can't feed on cannon powder, can we?
As captain of the ship,
I need to know your intention
Wait
Wait? Wait for what? For death?
He died in hand of the lord,
we will remember his soul
We therefore commit the body of this our
dearly departed brother to the deep...
May the Lord have mercy
on his soul, amen
Charles, for heaven's sake,
let's weigh anchor and go home
Or there will be more dead
I've told you before,
you can go back to your church in Macao
Oh no. I'm needed here
You're leading these people to death
My Majesty's government won't
let there die for nothing
Yes, that's what you wanted, isn't it
No rescue but a cause of the war
That's what you wanted
Today you came here
You... you are the devil
Good heavens! You knew... by Jesus,
you knew! There they are
Our warships are coming
Our warships are coming!
We're saved! We're saved!
Your Excellency, the British warships
have arrived at Humen
and blocked the estuary
of the Zhujiang River!
Let's finish the game first
Mary!
Daddy!
You left me
You really have to forgive me, Mary
Soon we will have our reward. Oh Daddy!
I tell you Captain Bremer. I knew
this water like the back of my hand
If we attack now,
we can take Guangzhou by night
How well do you know Lin Zexu,
Mr. Elliot?
We shall meet the greatest resistance
here in Guangzhou
The heart of the Great Qing in Peking
Let's settle our account
with their Emperor
That would effect the greatest fear
He's a tricky customer to deal with
Lin Zexu
Strange, isn't it? I've never met
my old adversary face to face
Your Excellencies, the enemy ships,
finding us in full battle array,
fled away without any fighting
Have they withdrawn far enough?
I saw them sailing directly up
to the north
Lin, this... dismissed!
The British haven't fled. They sail
northwards to Beijing and Tianjin
Send our ships to chase after them
It might delay their attack
The British have sturdy ships
with powerful cannons and great speed
Send 600 couriers to inform...
all our forts along Xiamen,
Shoushan and Dinai
In truth, I'd rather battle
to the last in Guangzhou
than see them go up north
Attention!
We don't want to occupy Dinghai
but we ask to use this lovely,
small island
to replenish our ships
with some provisions and fresh water
We'll pay for it
If you don't agree, we'll wipe you up
Say. Yes or no?
They're always like this
This is so typically Chinese
They never say yes, they never say no
Stand by!
Open fire!
Open fire
Open fire!
Ready. Fire
Do you feel like talking now?
I've never seen such a large ship,
nor have I seen such powerful cannons
However, we must resist
We, the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty
would rather die than surrender
Come on! Lead the remaining soldiers
to retreat to the mountain
But you...
I'll stay. Hurry up!
What a great nation and imperial court
It is less than in an hour!
Seven forts in Dinghai
and over ten battleships
were burned to ashes
Hundreds of people were killed
England
China
As your Majesty are not feeling well,
I dare not present my report
Speak up!
The courier from Zhoushan has come
with an emergency report
that the British took Dinghai
seven days ago
Now that Dinghai is lost,
the British ships, I'm afraid,
are sailing up to the north
Your Majesty, Qishan, Viceroy of
Zhili Province, requests an audience
I kowtow to wish Your Majesty
all the best
This morning the British ships
reached Dagukou of Tianjin
How dare they invade the forbidden
zone of the imperial palace!
Where is Lin Zexu?
Why hasn't he held off the enemy
in Guangzhou?
I've just gotten a letter
the foreigner wrote to Your Majesty
Who is Palmerstone?
This foreigner is a high official
He is the British foreign secretary
Britain is only a very small island
and it is not even worthy to be
a province of the great Qing Dynasty
How dare they write
a diplomatic note to me?
In my opinion,
we should never appease the British!
Otherwise, other countries like France,
America will follow suit
How could that be allowed?
Our best move is
to deal head-on with the British
and drive them
out of our territorial sea
The British always dominate
the sea warfare
by their powerful warships and cannons
At Dagukou,
I have seen with my own eyes...
So?
Forgive me, Your Majesty...
Tell me what you have seen
The British have the warships
and cannons so powerful
that I have never seen
Their warships can even run faster on
water than our horses on land
Their cannons are
as powerful as the force...
of a thunderbolt when they fire
Lin Zexu is incompetent
He cannot root out
the scourge of opium from inside
or withstand the foreign invaders
from outside
Bad news has arrived continuously
through the night
Lin Zexu, you've done harm to
the country, to me and to my subjects
Your Majesty,
the British are marching northward
because of Lin Zexu's hastiness
in handling the opium problem
So, why not dismiss Lin Zexu from office
What?
In this way, the British no longer
have an ex cuse to resort to arms
Then we can persuade them
to withdraw with due respect
and resolve the conflict peacefully
No,
those foreigners have poisoned us
with opium,
and Lin Zexu did well by destroying
the opium at Humen
Now, the foreigners with guilt
are treated as guests of honour
while Lin Zexu with merit
is to be dismissed?
Our Great Qing Dynasty cannot suffer
such a humiliation
Your Majesty,
Lin Zexu alone is as light as a feather
but the integrity
of the Celestial Empire
is essential to the Great Qing Dynasty
Your Majesty,
I'm afraid that Qishan's idea means
making a concession to the foreigners
This will make them even more insatiable
That's enough
These foreigners
are barbarious and ignorant
I decided to try peaceful means
before resorting to force
Qishan, you have enjoyed
the imperial grace all life
and you are also seen
as a pillar of the Celestial Empire
So, I order you to go
back to Tianjin and
appease the British
by telling them that,
I have already dismissed Lin Zexu and
forgiven them for resorting to arms
I appoint you
as the Imperial Commissioner
to resolve the conflict
I'll obey Your Majesty's orders
Lin Zexu,
Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi
is required to listen
to the imperial edict
Lin Zexu,
Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi
is required to listen
to the imperial edict
Since this is a private meeting
of close friends
I hope all of us can speak
frankly and sincerely
Whatever...
we say will just be between us
Then I'd like to speak outright
Lin has fallen into
such a miserable state
and as officials of the imperial court,
we are bitterly disappointed!
It's like changing horses in midstream
A bad omen!
To tell the truth,
Lin's dismissal is actually my idea
The foreigners are resorting
to arms simply
because we destroyed their opium
If we want to put out the flames of war,
we must resolve this conflict first
Then, with the adoption
of both hard and soft tactics,
we can subdue our enemy
Lin, in order to safeguard
the Qing Dynasty,
govt officials like you and me must be
ready to sacrifice even our lives
Why bother your career and life?
I know you understand
Please accept my apology
If the foreigners have invaded
our country just because of me,
I sincerely beg Your Excellency
to cut off my head
so that the enemy troops may retreat
I would die with a smile
You are overstating the case. Sincerity
is the prerequisite for seeking peace
Your dismissal...
will show our sincerity
The foreign ships with their powerful
cannons are just outside the capital
I don't believe you can repel the enemy
with sincere words
What is your idea?
The foreigners' farsightedness,
force and ambition...
are far beyond our imagination
We have no choice but to assemble
all our military forces
to fight against them
Lin Zexu! Several months ago,
you proclaimed that
the foreigners dare not make war
and if they did so,
they would be no match for us
If it had not been
for your self-righteousness,
we would not have been taken by surprise
when the British warships came!
Now you argue strongly for fighting
It was you who looked down
upon the foreigners
and it was you
who brought about their invasion
Now it is you again who try to plunge
the whole country into war
At that time, I, like a frog in a well,
didn't know much about the world affairs
Not until today did I understand that
there are many powerful countries
in the world... and
I'm aware of the approaching calamity
If you were a frog in a well,
how do you know you are still not?
I have served...
the army all my life,
and don't have much book knowledge
Your Excellency may be good
at seeking a reconciliation,
but my desire is to fight to the death
General Guan,
you have the will to fight to the death,
but do you have confidence that
we can win the war?
If anyone of you here
sure of winning the war,
I would like to be the first to fight
General Guan, you are not
afraid of a fight to the death,
and I belong to the imperial kinsmen
and have enjoyed His Majesty's grace
I, too, am not afraid to fight
to the death
But at Dagukou of Tianjin,
I saw the foreigners'
warships and cannons
which are even more sturdy and powerful
than we could imagine
Please excuse my blasphemous remark
A disastrous fate will befall
the Great Qing Dynasty!
If we yield without fighting,
we are not far away
from the end of the Great Qing Dynasty
Lin!
The Chinese can tower like a giant
in the east for 5,000 years
by relying on these
younger generations of scholars
No matter how powerful
the enemy outside is
and how frightening and earthshaking
the changes are,
the training of scholars
should not be neglected
Your Excellency
I'd like to accompany Your Ex cellency
and follow wherever you go
You have so many vanities
and frailities that
you can bear hardships for a short time,
nor for life
Yes, I know
When I'm here in Guangzhou,
I must continue to collect information
for Your Excellency to compile your book
I've been thinking a lot these days
You see, the foreign suit,
though ugly in style
is quite convenient for body motion
Also, these foreigners even eat
with metals like knives and forks
So, we can no longer
look down upon them
Your family is really wealthier
than anyone in this country
He Shanzhi, I come to Guangzhou
to deal with the foreigners
Since you've had dealings
with the foreigners,
do you know what they are...
The foreigners are ordinary human beings
They are similar
to your Ex cellency in likes
and dislikes
I would absolve your father
from capital punishment
If you...
could accomplish this mission
I'll try my best
Great!
I want her to...
How can I persuade Rong'er to go?
Do you know who Rong'er is?
She is the granddaughter
of the blind musician
The blind musician was a bodyguard...
in the Forbidden City
He had offended His Majesty and so,
his eyes were stabbed blind
for punishment
He went into exile and became
a wanted fugitive for more than 30 years
His life and Rong'er's both are
in my hands
Would she dare refuse?
He is wanted
Wanted?
Grandpa?
Take care of yourself
I am leaving for a long trip
You are born bellicose as you like
to eat bleeding food
I understand that the Chinese cuisine
is unrivaled anywhere in the world
I can't say as much as for your cannons
If you applied just a little
of your expertise in cookery
to manufacturing of cannons,
It would be we who today are begging
for a truce
I'm here not to ask for a truce...
but to grant a truce
Grant a truce!
I don't care what you call it
We don't care
His Majesty the Emperor knows that you
have behaved with respect and submission
and therefore bestows on you
to cover the expenses of your trip home
Who said anything about going home?
No!
We want...
We want 6 million taels of silver
to compensate for the opium
We want your opening up
of five ports for trade
At the most, we want Hong Kong
It's impossible. Our Great Qing Dynasty
has never ceded its territory before
Never before... Well, you will now...
Why do you want Hong Kong?
Money is important. Take the money first
No, it will be invaluable to us
We recongnise Hong Kong
as the best port in the whole Far East
Yes. Perfect location,
excellent climate,
deep water, it's ideal
And we must have it
I know perfectly well the temperament
of His Majesty the Emperor
You can't ask for so much all at once
I know perfectly well the temperament
of Her Majesty the Queen,
Her birthday is coming up soon
And we would find
a suitable present for her
Hong Kong will be ideal
Look,
I have to tell you
If you don't agree to our conditions
we will attack Guangzhou at once
Good. But you must...
let me report to His Majesty the Emperor
What is going on?
From now on, you are the guests
of the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty
So you'll be entertained
with all the food at our expense
I wish I could be treated
like this at home
Now I can see you're sincere
in your request for peace
I will extend the cease-fire
for another month
I don't think we will fight
Good!
We should get Hong Kong in ten days time
But of course you'll give us letters
from your Emperor
confirming our conditions
If we don't receive these in one month,
we can only take it
as a declaration of war
My sisters sell their smiles only,
but not their bodies
You have promised to let them go back
I'll stay to take care of you
I am telling you something
They're planning to get rid of me
Do you know who I am?
It was me
who masterminded the whole thing
Without me...
there wouldn't have been
any British troops here at all
It's as if... I was a farmer
I bought a cow, fed it,
look after it, fatten it up and then...
when veal is ready to eat,
they want to send me back!
I tell you. If I was told not
to get a share of the meat,
I would have helped Lin Zexu,
and been his advisor
Maybe... Maybe I'll marry you
You're so beautiful...
Bremer
You little bitch!
Hurry up, Bremer
She's hiding scissors under her clothes!
I blow your brains out
For God's sake, Elliot,
don't be a bloody fool
Send her back to Qishan for punishment
You disgraceful wretch,
you dare to cause harm to the national
cause of the Celestial Empire!
You used such a woman
to appease the British!
You should be punished
for provoking a conflict!
Speak up
Would somebody come? Put him into jail
Yes sir
According to the orders
of His Excellency Commissioner Qishan
the traitorous bitch is to be put
to death
Grandpa!
Master He, congratulations
When can I leave?
His Excellency Commissioner Qishan
has sent you a gift
By order of His Excellency
you should be accompanied
by opium all your life
Please drink it up
Drink it
Drink it!
In my opinion, we must not declare war
without careful consideration
The foreigners' ships are strong and
they run fast like the wind
How can we deploy forces
everywhere along
our thousand-mile-long coastline?
If we don't have enough troops,
we can organise a civic corps of militia
to withstand invasion
Lin Zexu once organised some civic corps
but Qishan disbanded them,
making Guangzhou a city of no defense
This is another crime of Qishan's
Qishan's sinful
Your Majesty,
that's simply like plotting a rebellion
The organization of
a civic corps of militia,
is the worst government policy to make
If these riotous people stir up trouble
among the masses and turn against us,
how can we live in peace?
Hong Kong is only a small
and primitive island
To the great Qing Dynasty,
it is no more than a drop in the ocean
Your Majesty, if we can exchange Hong
Kong for internal peace and stability,
it will be a fortunate case
for the Qing Dynasty
Your Majesty, Since the founding of
the Qing Dynasty two hundred years ago,
we have expanded our territory
even as far as Tianshan mountain,
but never surrendered
our country's sovereign rights
under humiliating terms like these
Once we cede Hong Kong and
set a precedent,
there will be more adverse
consequences to follow
We'll all be traitors by then
and Your Majesty will become
the sovereign of troubled times
How dare you!
Your Majesty, if Hong Kong
is granted to the foreigners,
I'll kill myself right in front of you
I'm fully aware of the danger
in seeking peace
However, I'm also fully aware
of the harm in declaring war
I've decide to assemble forces
from all the provincial armies
to fight against the foreigners
Hurry up! Get ready the cannons!
The teeth is an extension
of my skeleton
The skin and hair are the surface
of my flesh and blood
As my flesh, blood and skeleton
are given by my parents,
I would like you to take them
back to my home town
and bury them in my ancestral grave
Ah Shan,
you have been with me
for more than 40 years
and saved my life twice in the battle
I will pay a debt of gratitude
for your great kindness in my next life
Now, I merely beg that
you leave me forever
Do you want me to kneel down?
These are my life savings
and listen, you guys
If your cannon hits
the British ship once,
you'll get 50 taels of silver
as a reward
If your cannon sinks a ship,
you'll get a box of silver!
Let's fight to the death!
Let's fight the enemy for a reward
Fire!
Commander
Commander
I'm surprised that
you have the nerve to see me again
Commander, I, Han,
have disappointed the Qing Dyanasty
and let the people down
I deserve death!
But I've served in the army
for all my life
Commander, the British troops
are invading our country
I beg you to let me...
die on the fort
All right, you may die on the fort
This time next year will be
the anniversary of your death
Thank you Commander
You must die a heroic death!
Without guns, without...
I don't understand
why they continue to fight
I do
The Chinese believe in devoting
their lives to justice
It's a belief
that could destroy any warships
What's wrong with your cannon?
Commander, our cannons cannot
reach the British warships
Bitch!
I am indebted to Your Majesty
for the imperial edict,
and I must obey
the orders of Your Majesty,
I beg Your Majesty to grant me
the opportunity,
of redeeming my crimes by fighting
like a soldier against the enemy
I will devote my life, to the country
General Guan,
the great Qing Empire depends on you
Master...
Master
Why are you back?
Master, your things have been placed
in the ancestral shrine
I'm here to take your body back
All right, Ah Shan,
today I'll die with a grievance
The strongest fort we have has been
destroyed within only ten hours
Why does God let me be defeated
in such a disastrous...
and hopeless way!
My heart is bleeding!
Master!
Surrender!
Come on!
Qishan has deceived His Majesty
by betraying the country
and surrendered our country's sovereign
rights by ceding its territory
So, Qishan should be removed
immediately from...
the post of the imperial commissioner
and that of the Viceroy of Zhili
and sent under escort to Beijing
for capital punishment
Lin Zexu has done harm to the country
with his false report
and stirred up a military conflict,
So Lin Zexu should be banished
immediately to Xinjiang
Thank His Majesty for his kindness
Be well, your Excellency
Guangdong depends on you all
All right, all right
All right, please go
Be well, Your Excellency
Ah, it's Qi Shan, isn't it?
Lin, you and I have both suffered
a crushing defeat
You, however are honoured
and will perhaps go down in history
But I... I have ended up in shame
and ruin, and will
take the blame forever
Since I came to Guangzhou,
I have never thought of myself
I fear that the Chinese are...
being thrown into a long dark night
and have nowhere to turn for help
Heaven only knows
the Qing Dynasty is difficult to save!
Lin Sheng
I have no chance to see
the Emperor in this life
But you will,
If you see...
the Emperor again,
You must give this
to the Emperor for me
Please tell him
There are so many powerful nations in the world
Our Qing Dynasty could no longer be...
out of touch with reality
Your Excellency, Please
Take care of yourself
From Humen,
and Sanyuanli to Dinghai Ningbo and Zhenjiang,
the Chinese army and people resisted
the British troops heroically
but their effort failed
because of a corrupt government and military inferiority
The treaty of Nanjing was signed
between China and Britain on August 29, 1842