Question

After a long period of [trade], there appear among the crowd of barbarians both good persons and bad, unevenly. Consequently there are those who smuggle opium to seduce the Chinese people and so cause the spread of the poison to all provinces. Such persons who only care to profit themselves, and disregard their harm to others, are not tolerated. . . . His Majesty the Emperor, upon hearing of this, is in a towering rage. He has especially sent me, his commissioner . . . and together with the governor-general and governor jointly to investigate and settle this matter.

–Letter to Queen Victoria,
Lin Zexu

Whom does the author refer to as barbarians in this passage?

Chinese revolutionaries
British merchants
Chinese officials
French soldiers
GPT-4o mini
In this passage, the author, Lin Zexu, refers to British merchants as "barbarians." He is criticizing those who smuggle opium and exploit the Chinese population, suggesting that the presence of these merchants is harmful to China and its people. Lin's use of the term "barbarians" reflects the negative view he holds towards those involved in the opium trade, particularly the British traders.

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