Lin Zexu is the so-called "first person in the world". This legendary figure not only studied western politics, economy and culture with his old friend Wei Yuan at that time, but even Wei Yuan put forward the viewpoint of "learning from foreigners to control foreigners", which was also very shocking at that time.
Lin Zexu lived up to the expectations of his compatriots. That year, he did a great thing, that is, he destroyed opium in Humen. It not only shows the indomitable momentum of China people, but also refers to international terms to discuss with the British. Because of this, Lin Zexu is called a national hero.
But strangely, while Lin Zexu is clearly a hero in our mind, the bronze statue erected by Americans stands in new york, where land is precious. What is the relationship between Americans and Lin Zexu? Why is this strange phenomenon happening? Actually, it's really interesting behind this.
According to historical records, Britain often faces a trade deficit when trading with China. There is a simple reason. Western industrial products can't open the traditional agricultural society of China, so a large number of silk products are exported from tea sets, but British industrial products can't make money. Therefore, when Britain invaded China, it still faced a huge trade deficit, even reaching tens of millions of taels of silver.
You know, the British Empire was the world's colonial hegemon at that time. Although they couldn't afford such a loss, the British thought of opening China's market with opium. From here on, China is full of opium, and both officials and ordinary people are addicted to opium.
As Lin Zexu wrote, more than half of the able-bodied men smoke opium. In the long run, the Qing dynasty will have no soldiers to recruit and no money to pay wages. The emperor realized that the crisis was coming, so he asked Lin Zexu, as an imperial envoy, to personally go to Humen to destroy opium.
At that time, Lin Zexu not only opened his eyes, but also hated opium. He wants to cut off the root cause completely. 1839 to March 10, Lin zexu officially conducted a large-scale opium survey in Guangdong. At that time, many people bribed Lin Zexu in order to avoid sanctions, but Lin Zexu simply ignored it and has been unswervingly banning smoking.
After investigation, all the opium was finally collected within three days. In that year, Lin Zexu even shouted the famous slogan, "Opium is endless, and the minister will not return for a day!"
Under the declaration of beating the floor, a * * * 2.376 million Jin of opium was destroyed with Humen in front of everyone. All opium dealers trembled with anger, and foreign businessmen were frightened by Lin Zexu's firm will.
Since then, opium has been hit to varying degrees in China, and more and more people of insight have consciously resisted opium. Lin Zexu defended the dignity and interests of the people of China through this great act.
Even for this reason, the British people were forced to face the war with China. Although we didn't win it later, the will of the people of China was firmly reflected, and Lin Zexu will always be remembered by everyone.
After talking about Lin Zexu's history, I will look back at the tragedy of Americans. The reason why Americans brought Lin Zexu to the front desk is because they are also suffering from the harm of drugs.
As we all know, the United States is an immigrant country, and many systems need constant adjustment. So in the 1960 s, the social order in the United States was a little chaotic, and hippies rose wildly.
At this time, Mexico and Colombia, two drug giants, rose wildly, and a large number of drugs and addicts flowed into the United States from here. At that time, the United States was an immigrant country, which did not play a very good role in punishing drugs, but everyone began to sink into crazy freedom and even became a terrible social atmosphere.
At that time, the state of the United States was similar to that of the late Qing government. Many young people are addicted to drugs and just lie at home every day. As a result, the social labor force has declined, and people have actually done absurd things including robbery and murder in the state of lack of drugs. These crazy actions have led to a sharp increase in the number of crimes in the United States and a huge problem in the whole social security.
According to incomplete statistics, the number of drug addicts in the United States reached more than 40 million at that time, when the total population of the United States was only over 200 million. Therefore, the proportion of drug abuse accounts for 1/8, and it is self-evident to what extent the social order is chaotic and the national spirit is degraded.
Faced with such a tragic situation, the government was naturally very angry and launched a large-scale anti-smoking campaign. Moreover, in 1987, all countries in the world are aware of the dangers of drugs, so June 26th every year is designated as the International Anti-Drug Day. At that time, the United States also heard the news and immediately responded to the call to find ways to ban smoking.
It is against this background that Chinese in the United States remembered their national hero, Lin Zexu, so everyone decided to take Lin Zexu as the representative to promote the anti-smoking movement in the United States.
1995 led by China entrepreneur Mr. Huang Keqiang, the American Lin Zexu Foundation was established. At that time, this proposal was quickly recognized by Chinese Americans and strongly supported by the US government.
So under this background, New York State began to build a bronze statue of Lin Zexu. This bronze statue is 3.2 meters high, and it is also dressed in official clothes, so it is located in the squares of East Broadway and Lin Guangchang.
All Americans will pay tribute to Lin Zexu when they pass by, because it is Lin Zexu's anti-smoking spirit that makes them quit. Therefore, Lin Zexu is not only our national hero, but also a great hero in the eyes of Americans.
1999, the name of the square was also named "Lin Zexu Square" by the New York City Government, which shows that the US government respects Lin Zexu.
In fact, it can be seen from this incident that culture is not a matter of a certain country, but often a matter of the whole world. China's national spirit and culture embody universal values to a great extent, such as Lin Zexu's rebellious spirit and Americans' will to strive for self-improvement and resist difficulties. In fact, they always agree.
In the face of various crises, people of all countries should unite as one. For example, the International Day against Drug Abuse is a good example. At that time, China was too weak to make its own voice, but now China is very strong, capable of taking social responsibility, and can even lead the world trend independently and impose its own sanctions on some criminals.
In this context, China and the United States should actually adopt more cooperation, whether it is the American world police or our cultural and moral values, they can all be combined. Let's create a beautiful thing together, instead of opposing each other and emphasizing our sense of cultural superiority. At that time, Lin Zexu had already told us this. Cooperation is the only way out, and cultures will not be antagonistic.
Therefore, personally, Lin Zexu not only embodies the national spirit, but also has a universal value in the world. He is not only a hero in China, but also a hero in the eyes of Americans. This is a very good case. In the future, like Lin Zexu, China can promote the spirit of universal values, for example, transforming the kind lovers of Confucius and Old Master Q into a culture that Americans can feel.
I believe that under this background, China's culture will be more accepted and respected by people all over the world, and China can better promote the integration and development of global culture. Wouldn't it be better to replace conflict with cultural exchange? Therefore, when Lin Zexu took a step for us, our descendants should follow closely to resolve conflicts. China culture is duty-bound.