Épisodes

  • The Opium War's Secret Peace: How China Lost Taiwan

    The Opium War's Secret Peace: How China Lost Taiwan
    May 18 2026
    Episode 46 of The Opium Wars shifts focus from the mainland to a little-known consequence: the British seizure of Taiwan in 1841-42. Lucas and Luna explore how a single misunderstanding—a shipwreck and a massacre—led to a British punitive expedition that nearly cost China the island. We meet the Qing commander Dahong'a, whose defense of Keelung and Tamsui held off British warships for months, only to be betrayed by a false report and imperial politics. The episode also examines the fate of the Danish ship Dorothea, the role of local militias, and how Taiwan's strategic value was recognized by both sides long before the Treaty of Nanking. Why did the British ultimately withdraw? And what did the Qing learn from this near-loss? A forgotten chapter that reshaped East Asian geopolitics. #OpiumWars #Taiwan #Keelung #Tamsui #Dahonga #Dorothea #RoyalNavy #QingDynasty #DaoguangEmperor #Nerbudda #Ann #BritishEmpire #ColonialHistory #19thCentury #NavalHistory #EastAsia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 min
  • The Opium Wars: How the British Navy Broke China's Defenses

    The Opium Wars: How the British Navy Broke China's Defenses
    May 17 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the military technology and strategy that defined the Second Opium War (1856-1860). They focus on the Battle of the Bogue Forts in 1856 and the subsequent capture of Canton, examining how British steam-powered warships and Paixhans guns overcame Qing defenses. The conversation covers Admiral Sir Michael Seymour's campaign, the destruction of the Chinese fleet at the Pearl River, and the role of the East India Company's steamer HMS Nemesis. Lucas explains the tactical advantages of steam propulsion and shell guns, and how the Qing military's reliance on outdated matchlocks and war junks led to its defeat. The episode also touches on the aftermath: the Treaty of Tientsin and the burning of the Yuanmingyuan. This is a deep dive into the hardware and human decisions that forced China open. #OpiumWars #SecondOpiumWar #BritishNavy #PaixhansGuns #HMSSteamers #BattleOfBogueForts #Canton1856 #SirMichaelSeymour #PearlRiver #QingDynasty #HMSNemesis #TreatyOfTientsin #Yuanmingyuan #MilitaryHistory #19thCentury #ColonialWarfare #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 min
  • The Opium Wars: Commissioner Yeh Mingchen's Diplomatic Disaster

    The Opium Wars: Commissioner Yeh Mingchen's Diplomatic Disaster
    May 17 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the catastrophic tenure of Yeh Mingchen, the Qing official whose rigid diplomacy and refusal to compromise with the British led directly to the Second Opium War. From his early career suppressing the Taiping Rebellion to his disastrous handling of the Arrow Incident in 1856, Yeh's actions triggered the British bombardment of Canton and the eventual fall of the city. We discuss his unyielding principles, the role of the 'Arrow' lorcha and its disputed registry, the breakdown of the tribute system, and Yeh's ultimate capture and exile to India. Along the way, we touch on the perspectives of British officials like Harry Parkes and Lord Elgin, the plight of Canton's civilians, and the broader implications for China's forced opening. A tale of rigid ideology colliding with imperial ambition. #OpiumWars #SecondOpiumWar #YehMingchen #ArrowIncident #Canton #QingDynasty #HarryParkes #LordElgin #TaipingRebellion #TributeSystem #TreatyOfTientsin #BritishEmpire #Diplomacy #19thCentury #ChinaHistory #Imperialism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 min
  • The Opium Wars: The Siege of Canton 1857

    The Opium Wars: The Siege of Canton 1857
    May 16 2026
    In 1857, the Second Opium War erupted with a brutal British bombardment of Canton. This episode tells the story of the siege through the eyes of Ye Mingchen, the Qing viceroy who refused to surrender. We explore the failure of Canton's defenses, the role of the Arrow incident, and the devastating aftermath that led to the occupation of Canton and the Treaty of Tientsin. Lucas and Luna discuss Ye's stubborn defiance, the capture of the city, and the long-term consequences for Qing authority. #OpiumWars #YeMingchen #Canton #SecondOpiumWar #ArrowIncident #TreatyOfTientsin #QingDynasty #BritishEmpire #Siege #1857 #Bombardment #Parkes #Elgin #Macau #PearlRiver #FexingoHistory #History #EastAsia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 min
  • The Opium War's Secret Weapon: How British Steamboats Transformed Naval Warfare

    The Opium War's Secret Weapon: How British Steamboats Transformed Naval Warfare
    May 15 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the technological revolution that gave the British a decisive edge in the Opium Wars: the iron-hulled paddle steamer HMS Nemesis. They discuss how the Nemesis, armed with Paixhans guns, destroyed Chinese war junks at the Bogue Forts and Chuenpi, and how its shallow draft allowed it to navigate rivers where no British ship had gone before. They touch on the career of Captain William Hutcheson Hall, the role of the East India Company in building the vessel, and the broader impact of steam power on imperial expansion. The conversation also covers the Chinese response, including the use of fire rafts and the destruction of the Nemesis's sister ship, HMS Vixen, at the Second Battle of Chuenpi. #OpiumWars #HMSNemesis #SteamPower #PaixhansGuns #BogueForts #Chuenpi #NavalHistory #WilliamHall #EastIndiaCompany #ChinaHistory #BritishEmpire #19thCentury #MilitaryTechnology #HMSVixen #CantonRiver #LinZexu #QingDynasty #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 min
  • The Opium War's Overlooked Armies: Bannermen vs Green Standard

    The Opium War's Overlooked Armies: Bannermen vs Green Standard
    May 15 2026
    While most accounts of the Opium War focus on British steamboats and Chinese war junks, this episode examines the two military systems that actually fought the ground war: the elite Manchu Bannermen and the Han Chinese Green Standard Army. Lucas explains how the Qing military was structured, why the Bannermen had declined from their conquest-era peak, and how the Green Standard troops — poorly paid and often corrupt — fared against British marines and Indian sepoys. Specific battles discussed include the defense of Chinkiang (Zhenjiang) in 1842, where Bannermen fought to the last, and the fall of Chapu (Zhapu), where desperate Qing troops used antiquated matchlocks against Enfield rifles. Luna asks about the Banner system's origin (the Eight Banners created by Nurhaci in 1601), the role of Mongol and Han Banners, and how the Daoguang Emperor tried to reform a system that had grown stagnant. The episode also touches on loot money versus regular pay, the racial hierarchy within Qing forces, and why the British found Qing infantry brave but outdated. A fresh angle that hasn't been covered in any prior episode. #OpiumWar #QingMilitary #EightBanners #GreenStandardArmy #ManchuBannermen #BattleOfChinkiang #BattleOfChapu #DaoguangEmperor #Nurhaci #QingDynasty #MilitaryHistory #ChineseHistory #ColonialWarfare #BritishArmy #Sepoy #Zhenjiang #Zhapu #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 min
  • The Opium War's Forgotten Battle: Chuenpi 1841 — Fexingo History

    The Opium War's Forgotten Battle: Chuenpi 1841 — Fexingo History
    May 13 2026
    This episode of Fexingo History takes you to the first major clash of the First Opium War: the Battle of Chuenpi, January 7, 1841. Lucas and Luna explore how a single skirmish on the Pearl River changed the course of the war. They discuss the strategic importance of the Bogue Forts, the role of the East India Company's steamship Nemesis, and the miscalculations of Qing commander Guan Tianpei. Learn about the British use of Paixhans explosive shells, the controversial Convention of Chuenpi, and how Charles Elliot's unauthorized deal led to his recall. The episode also covers the human cost, the destruction of over 70 war junks, and why Chuenpi is often overshadowed by later battles like the capture of the Bogue Forts. Discover how this early British victory exposed the vulnerability of China's coastal defenses and set the stage for the Treaty of Nanking.

    #OpiumWars #Chuenpi #BattleofChuenpi #FirstOpiumWar #QingDynasty #BritishEmpire #GuanTianpei #CharlesElliot #HMSNemesis #PaixhansGuns #BogueForts #PearlRiver #EastIndiaCompany #ConventionOfChuenpi #NavalHistory #ImperialChina #19thCentury #FexingoHistory #LinZexu #TreatyOfNanjing

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    6 min
  • The Opium Wars: The Co-Hong Merchants Who Paid the Price — Fexingo History

    The Opium Wars: The Co-Hong Merchants Who Paid the Price — Fexingo History
    May 12 2026
    Episode 39 of The Opium Wars turns to the Chinese merchants caught in the crossfire—the Co-Hong traders of Canton who operated the Thirteen Factories. Lucas and Luna explore how figures like Howqua and Mowqua amassed vast fortunes under the Canton System, only to see their livelihoods destroyed by war and treaty. They discuss the Cohong's monopoly, the crushing indemnity payments imposed on them after the Treaty of Nanking, and the lesser-known story of the 'hong merchants' being forced to fund the very war that ended their power. The episode also touches on the bizarre but revealing 'Lady Hughes affair' of 1784, a precursor to the conflicts over extraterritoriality. This is a fresh angle on the Opium Wars, focusing on the economic and human cost to the Chinese commercial elite who had managed Sino-Western trade for generations.

    #OpiumWars #Cohong #CantonSystem #HongMerchants #Howqua #Mowqua #ThirteenFactories #TreatyOfNanking #Indemnity #Extraterritoriality #LadyHughes #QingDynasty #CantonTrade #ChineseMerchants #ForeignTrade #19thCenturyChina #History #FexingoHistory #BritishEmpire #LinZexu

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    9 min