180年前的今天，也就是1839年的6月3日。中国清朝政府委任钦差大臣林则徐在广东虎门集中销毁鸦片，史称虎门销烟（Destruction of opium at Humen）,这一事件也成为了第一次鸦片战争（First Opium War）的导火索。
鸦片战争，又称英中战争（Anglo-Chinese Wars），从1839年持续到1842年，1856年持续到1860年，是清朝时期中国与大英帝国贸易争端的高潮。英国无视中国禁毒法，从英属印度向中国走私鸦片，引发了中英之间的公开战争。
The Opium Wars,also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, lasted from 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860, the climax of a trade dispute between China under the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire. British smuggling of opium from British India into China in defiance of China's drug laws erupted into open warfare between Britain and China.
中国在两次战争中都失败了，政府不得不容忍鸦片贸易。英国强迫中国政府签署《南京条约》和《天津条约》等不平等条约，其中包括开放更多的对外贸易港口，征收固定关税; 承认两国在通信上是平等的; 以及将香港割让给英国。英国人也获得了治外法权。一些国家效仿英国，寻求与中国达成类似协议。许多中国人认为这些协议是屈辱的，这些情绪被认为是太平天国运动(1850-1864)、义和团运动(1899-1901)和1912年清朝灭亡的原因之一，结束了中国的王朝。鸦片战争促使中国向世界敞开了大门。
China was defeated in both wars leaving its government having to tolerate the opium trade. Britain forced the Chinese government into signing the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of Tianjin, also known as the Unequal Treaties, which included provisions for the opening of additional ports to foreign trade, for fixed tariffs; for the recognition of both countries as equal in correspondence; and for the cession of Hong Kong to Britain. The British also gained extraterritorial rights. Several countries followed Britain and sought similar agreements with China. Many Chinese found these agreements humiliating and these sentiments are considered to have contributed to the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), and the downfall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, putting an end to dynastic China. The Opium Wars forcefully and suddenly opened China to the world.
鸦片战争也是中国近代史（China modern history）的开端。此时期是从1840年鸦片战争开始—1949年中华人民共和国成立为止。
鸦片战争以后，中国从封建社会逐步变成半殖民半封建社会。中国社会的主要矛盾，由地主阶级和农民阶级的矛盾，变为外国资本主义和中华民族的矛盾，封建主义和人民大众的矛盾，而前者成为矛盾中的最主要矛盾。从此，中国人民开始反对外国侵略者，同时反对本国封建统治者的斗争；中国历史进入旧民主主义革命时期。
After the opium war, China from feudal society gradually turned half colonial semi-feudal society. The principal contradiction in the Chinese society, the landlord class and the peasant class contradictions, into foreign capitalism and the contradiction of the Chinese nation, feudalism and the masses of the contradictions, and the former become the main contradiction of conflict. Since then the Chinese people start against foreign invaders, and against its feudal rulers struggle; Chinese history into the old democratic revolution.
虎门销烟成为打击毒品的历史事件。虎门销烟开始的6月3日，民国时被定为不放假的禁烟节，而销烟结束翌日即6月26日也是国际禁毒日（International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking）。
重点词汇总结：
虎门销烟 Destruction of opium at Humen
第一次鸦片战争 First Opium War
英中战争Anglo-Chinese Wars
争端 dispute
爆发 erupted
走私 smuggle
不平等条约 Unequal Treaties
屈辱 humiliation
导火索（直接起因） direct cause
中国近代史China modern history
半殖民地半封建社会 half colonial semi-feudal society
封建制度 Feudalism
侵略者 invaders
矛盾 contradiction
国际禁毒日 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
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