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Lin Zexu

Lin Zexu
Commissioner Lin 2.png
An 1843 drawing of Lin
Viceroy of Liangguang
In office
21 January 1840 – 3 October 1840
Preceded by Deng Tingzhen
Succeeded by Qishan
Viceroy of Shaan-Gan
In office
1845
Viceroy of Yun-Gui
In office
1848
Preceded by Li Xingyuan (Li Hsing-yüan)
Succeeded by Cheng Yuzai (Ch'eng Yü-tsai)
Viceroy of Huguang
In office
1837–1839
Personal details
Born (1785-08-30)30 August 1785
Fuzhou, Fujian Province
Died 22 November 1850(1850-11-22) (aged 65)
Puning, Guangdong Province
Occupation Politician
Military service
Battles/wars First Opium War
Lin Zexu
Traditional Chinese 林則徐
Simplified Chinese 林则徐
Courtesy name
Traditional Chinese 元撫
Simplified Chinese 元抚

Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese scholar-official of the Qing dynasty best known for his role in the First Opium War of 1839–42. He was from Fuzhou, Fujian Province. Lin's forceful opposition to the opium trade was a primary catalyst for the First Opium War. He is praised for his constant position on the "moral high ground" in his fight, but he is also blamed for a rigid approach which failed to account for the domestic and international complexities of the problem. The Daoguang Emperor endorsed the hardline policies advocated by Lin, but then blamed Lin for the resulting disastrous war.

Lin was born in Houguan (侯官; modern Fuzhou, Fujian Province) towards the end of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. His father, Lin Binri (林賓日), served as an official under the Qing government. He was the second son in the family. As a child, he was already "unusually brilliant". In 1811, he obtained the position of a jinshi in the imperial examination, and in the same year he gained admission to the Hanlin Academy. He rose rapidly through various grades of provincial service. He opposed the opening of China but felt the need of a better knowledge of foreigners, which drove him to collect material for a geography of the world. He later gave this material to Wei Yuan, who published the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms in 1843. He became Governor-General of Hunan and Hubei in 1837, where he launched a suppression campaign against the trading of opium.


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