Changes

After the arrival of Marco Polo in the 13th century, Western foreigners in China began to see China as a place for economic opportunity and mass conversion to Christianity. In the 19th century, it was mainly Britain and its powerful navy that began to increase its presence in China and control of trade in the region.<ref>For an overview of how trade and drugs in particular fueled British interaction and ultimately increased interest in China see: Lovell, Julia. 2011. <i>Ya Pian Zhan Zheng = The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China</i>. London: Picador.</ref>  One particular commodity of interest was opium, which became a product of increased demand in the West in the early to mid 19th century. Two main wars were fought over access to opium, which China had fought to restrict in trade, with the British, assisted by the French and United States in the second war, successfully defeating the Chinese in both wars. The Second Opium War (1856-1860), as it was called, was the most critical, as it was the key war that led to the opening of China to many countries, traders, and missionaries. The presence became affiliated with allegations. It allowed the British, French, the United States, and Russia bases of operations and great access to China, including in Beijing and key port cities. This began a period of a rapid increase in Western influence in China, which was increasingly seen by many Chinese as largely favoring Western interests and against their own.<ref>See Chow, Gregory C. 2007. <i>Knowing China</i>. New Jersey ;London: World Scientific.</ref>