It was an addictive drug. But in 1839, the British decide to force the issue, and you have what will be known as the First Opium War. This is a picture of the Second Battle of Chuenpi. You see the British vessel Nemesis, which is actually owned by a company, the British East India Company, destroying Chinese junk ships. And because of this show of force, and this military superiority, they were able to win the First Opium War, and extract major concessions from Qing China. The Chinese had to open up five ports to trade with the British. They had to give the island of Hong Kong to the British indefinitely, and the British would keep control of it all the way until the end of the 20th century.