... also be noted that cultural differences between the two countries instigated more hindrance in each country's effort for control than anything else - the countries' contrasting belief systems, in combination with their respective historical backgrounds, is what caused each country to regard the other as an adversary.3 In short, the cultural discrepancy between China and the West, in combination with the competition for political and economical domination, is the basis of what is known as the Opium Wars. The Qing Dynasty, throughout its approximate 200-year reign, carried a certain mentality that was still highly influenced by Confucian thought. The last of China's imperial dynasties viewed itself as "the most culturally advanced and prosperous country in the world,"4 and, presuming itself as the greater country, would continually treat foreign relations as tributary nations, demanding that they kowtow to their Emperor, use submissive language and participate in a one-way gift exchange.5 However, ...

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