How the Opium Wars Shaped Contemporary Chinese History and Migration
Edward Duncan, “Destroying Chinese War Junks,” 1843. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
From Pearl to Pacific: The Journey of the Late Qing Diaspora
Welcome. This digital exhibition examines the interconnected history of China and America in the 19th century. It traces the Canton System; the influence of the Opium War on the transformation of modern China; the fall of the Qing Dynasty; and their combined impact on Chinese migration to the West, where Chinese immigrants became gold seekers, railroad pioneers, and defenders of civil rights.