1839 in China

Events from the year 1839 in China.

Incumbents

 * Daoguang Emperor (19th year)

Viceroys

 * Viceroy of Zhili — Qishan
 * Viceroy of Min-Zhe — Zhong Xiang then Zhou Tianjie then Guiliang then Deng Tingzhen
 * Viceroy of Huguang — Zhou Tianjie then Guiliang then Yutai
 * Viceroy of Shaan-Gan — Hūsungge
 * Viceroy of Liangguang — Deng Tingzhen
 * Viceroy of Yun-Gui — IIibu then Deng Tingzhen then Guiliang
 * Viceroy of Sichuan — Gioro-Baoxing
 * Viceroy of Liangjiang — Tao Zhu then Lin Zexu then Chen Luan

Events

 * Daoguang Emperor appointed scholar-official Lin Zexu to the post of Special Imperial Commissioner with the task of eradicating the opium trade. He bans the trade of opium and writes a letter to Queen Victoria asking her to stop the illegal importation of opium
 * early July 1839 - a group of British merchant sailors in Kowloon became intoxicated after consuming rice liqueur. Two of the sailors became agitated with and beat to death Lin Weixi, a villager from nearby Tsim Sha Tsui. They are disciplined by British military court and the British refuse to hand them over to Chinese prosecutors

Ongoing

 * Opium War