The Opium WarThe Opium War, directed by Jin Xie, paints a fairly even-handed account of the Opium War, starting with the appointment of Lin Zexu to end the trade of opium in China until the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing agreement. This film seemed to accurately depict the sins of both the Chinese and the English during the 1830s and up until 1842. That said, The Opium War illustrated two important factors that both helped promote conflict and possible military confrontation between China and Great Britain. The first is the state of the Chinese government at the time of the opium trade. There was enough corruption within the government itself that it was very difficult to stop the trade at the source. The trading company that dealt with British merchants often had to bribe officials with opium to get their deals done. This not only incentivized local government officials to continue allowing the exchange, but made it difficult to find and prosecute all parties involved. When Lin Zexu saw the accounting documents, he couldn't believe that so many officials were involved, and went so far as to say that prosecuting them all meant he would have to "kill every official in Guangzhou." In fact, even some of his own officials were opium users, forcing Lin Zexu to break the rules, saying that “to err is human.” Although it was difficult enough to eliminate the opium trade from China, it was even more difficult for the Chinese government to accept the demands of the British. At this historical moment, China had become overconfident and presumed to be the world's greatest power. This type of arrogant and decrepit government is demonstrated by the old and frail officials who advised the emperor on actions against the English. Even after a first attack and as war between the two nations looms, China is still so confident in its power that the emperor, instead of asking for a truce, "grant" a truce to the English. At this point, however, it is interesting to note that it is not clear what the Chinese government's intentions are. Officials are apparently divided on whether to please the British or wage open war. As China negotiated with Britain, however, it appears that the Chinese were eager to comply with any demands because they were already unsure of their ability to defend themselves from naval attack.