BETWEEN FAITH AND EMPIRE: MISSIONARIES AND OPIUM TRADE IN CHINA, 1830–1872

This thesis explores the evolving relationship between Protestant missionaries in China and the opium trade from 1830 to 1872. While missionaries are often depicted as either complicit in imperialist expansion or leading moral crusades, their stance on opium was far more complex and shifted over time. Initially, figures such as Elijah Coleman Bridgman and Samuel Wells Williams condemned the opium trade on moral grounds. However, by the mid-nineteenth century, pragmatic concerns, diplomatic engagements, and the desire to expand missionary influence led many to support its legalization. This study examines missionary writings, diplomatic records, and archival sources to trace these transformations and analyze the broader intersections of religion, commerce, and empire. It argues that missionaries’ shifting attitudes reflected not only theological convictions but also geopolitical and institutional pressures. Ultimately, their involvement laid the groundwork for late-nineteenth-century anti-opium campaigns, illustrating the paradoxes of missionary engagement in China’s colonial and economic history.