Historical Witness of the Opium War - The Opium War Museum

Historical Witness of the Opium War - The Opium War Museum

You must have heard about the destruction of opium at Humen and the Opium Wars. These two historical events were the turning point of the fate of China. China signed the first unfair treaty which started the humiliating history of foreign invasion. That was why Hong Kong became a colony of the United Kingdom and how it is like today.

The museum is divided into two major exhibition areas and three forts. Lin Zexu Memorial of Humen and the former site of Humen Fort are one large part; Weiyuan Fort and Humen Naval Museum are another. In addition, Shajiao Fort is also under the management of the Opium War Museum. 

Lin Zexu Memorial of Humen is in the location where he destructed opium in 1839. You can see the two pools where Lin destroyed opium. Humen Fort next to it was the major fort of the Qing army used in the Opium Wars. The museum showcases the anti-drug history of China to educate visitors the modern Chinese history and alert them to say no to drugs.

Weiyuan Fort and Shajiao Fort were another two major forts used for fighting against British invasions. Besides the forts, there is the Naval War Museum presenting the distressing situation in the Opium Wars and history of coastal defense in China. These exhibitions enable tourists to have a deeper understanding of how China defended its sovereignty in the past.