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*''Born: [[1785]]''
*''Died: [[1850]]''
*''Chinese/Japanese'': [[林]]則徐 ''(Lín Zéxú / Rin Sokujo)''
Lin Zexu was, famously, imperial commissioner of the port of [[Canton]] (Guangdong) during the [[First Opium War]]. He was charged with combatting the importation of opium into China, and his efforts are generally said to have played a major role in spurring the outbreak of war with Britain.
Prior to his appointment to Canton, Lin served as Governor-General in [[Hunan province|Hunan]] and [[Hubei province]]s. His campaigns against opium in those regions earned him a reputation as an upright and competent administrator.
He was then appointed imperial commissioner of Canton in [[1838]], and soon afterwards confiscated and destroyed several million pounds of opium from Western merchants. War ensued between China and the United Kingdom, ending in the [[1842]] [[Treaty of Nanjing]], which embarrassed the [[Qing Dynasty|Qing Court]], opened five Chinese ports to Western trade & settlement, and involved a number of other significant concessions.
Blamed for his role in sparking the conflict, Lin was appointed Governor-General of Ili, in [[Xinjiang province]], effectively an exile to China's remotest region. He was, however, permitted to return to [[Beijing]] prior to his death.