Opium Wars Opium Wars The Opium Wars were two wars in the mid-19th century involving China and the British Empire over the British trade of opium and China's sovereignty. The clashes included the First Opium War (1839–1842) and the Second Opium War (1856–1860). The wars and events between them weakened the Qing dynasty and forced China to trade with the other parts of the world. In 1820, China's economy was the largest in the world, according to British economist Angus Maddison. Within a decade after the end of the Second Opium War, China's share of global GDP had fallen by half. In
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China the time only ten years old) is featured briefly. Jian Wang has gone on to international stardom. Another performer, violinist Vera Tsu Weiling, was featured playing "Caprice after a study in the form of a waltz" by Saint-Saens, arranged by Ysaÿe. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1981. It was also screened out of competition at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival. The Academy Film Archive preserved "Mao to Mozart" in 2000. From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China is a 1979 documentary film about Western culture