4. The Tea Wars

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As Britain’s demand for tea soared in the late 18th century, an economic problem was emerging. Britain wanted to buy lots of tea from China, but China wasn’t interested in the commodities Britain had to sell. That meant silver was draining out of Britain and into China. Eventually, a solution was found: opium. It was an imperial product Britain could grow in India and sell to China. But the Chinese leadership didn't want the narcotic, and Britain’s desire to offset its tea habit by selling an addictive, hard drug that harmed Chinese people, led to war. Professor of Chinese history Yangwen Zheng explains how the situation escalated, and the long shadow the conflict casts upon the modern world. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.