Abstract:

"Directed by Xie Jin, 'the Chinese Spielberg,' this historical epic is set in 1830s China, when the Chinese government tried to ban opium. British opium dealers, who had grown wealthy from their trade, persuaded Queen Victoria to go to war for their business. The result was a humiliating defeat for the Chinese, who were forced to surrender Hong Kong to British control as part of the peace settlement. The movie follows two main characters: Lin Zexu, the minister designated by the emperor to wipe out the opium trade; and He Shinzhi, the son of a Chinese opium seller, who survives the anti-drug campaign through his knowledge of English, which allows him to work as an interpreter in Chinese diplomatic business with England." --http://www.1worldfilms.com || "The Opium War was released in Beijing on July 1, 1997, set to coincide with the transfer of Hong Kong from Britain back to China. Xie Jin described the film as a 'special gift for the motherland and the people ... to ensure we and our descendants forever remember the humiliation the nation once suffered.' " --http://cyber.law.harvard.edu. With Pao Guoan, Su Min, Lang Xiong, and Lin Lian Kun.