Chinese Dynasty Board Game #10 - The Qing: Opium Wars (social studies, history)

In this game students play against each other to control the trade in Asia. They must pick up cards and collect them on their player boards in order to win the game.

The Opium Wars were two conflicts in the mid-19th century between China and Western powers, primarily Britain. The First Opium War (1839-1842) was triggered by China’s attempts to suppress the opium trade, which Britain was using to balance trade deficits. The war ended with the Treaty of Nanking, which opened several Chinese ports to British trade and ceded Hong Kong to Britain. The Second Opium War (1856-1860), involving Britain and France against China, led to further trade concessions and the legalization of the opium trade. These wars significantly weakened China and marked the beginning of the country’s “Century of Humiliation.”