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Jan 2026
42m 19s

#317 - Opium War 2: Laboriously Vile Bar...

CHRIS STEWART
About this episode
In 1834, Britain sent a man to China almost perfectly unsuited to the job... only to forbid him from actually doing it. William John Napier, naval officer, socialite, & dilettante with no experience in diplomacy, trade, or China, arrived at Canton convinced he was destined to break open the Qing Empire by force of his will alone. But he would not get quite t ... Show More
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Jan 2026
To: Queen Victoria, From: Lin Zexu (1839)
Letter to the queen of England, from the high Imperial Commissioner Lin, and his colleagues. From the Canton press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
17m 49s
Feb 2026
#318 - Opium War 3: Up In Smoke
Lin Zexu believed moral clarity and the largest drug bust in history could end the opium crisis and avert war. Yet, as his solution drained into Humen Bay, so too did the last hope of peace between China and Britain.Time Period Covered:1836–June 1839 Major Historical Figures: The ... Show More
57m 6s
Feb 2026
#319 - Opium War 4: Peddling the Drug Peddlers' War
Britain and China both saw the opium crisis clearly enough to know it would end in disaster. Each believed it understood the situation, and the other, well enough to keep events from spinning out of control. And yet... it happened anyway.Time Period Covered:Late 1839 – April 1840 ... Show More
41m 39s
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