The Opium Wars: The British Navy's Secret Chinese Pilot

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The Opium Wars: The British Navy's Secret Chinese Pilot

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In Episode 114 of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna uncover the story of Ho A-shih, the Cantonese fisherman who became the Royal Navy's most valuable secret asset during the Second Opium War. With intimate knowledge of the Pearl River Delta's treacherous channels, Ho guided British warships past the Bogue Forts and into the heart of Canton. Lucas explains how Qing officials had long dismissed the Tanka boat people as outsiders, never suspecting they would side with the invaders. He traces Ho's journey from a humble fishing village to becoming the chief pilot for Admiral Sir Michael Seymour's fleet, and the devastating 1857 bombardment of Canton that followed. The episode also explores the uneasy relationship between the British officers who relied on Chinese collaborators and the racist policies that kept them second-class. Ho's betrayal, Lucas argues, foreshadowed the broader collapse of Qing authority. A nuanced look at loyalty, survival, and the human cost of empire. #HoA-shih #SecondOpiumWar #Canton #PearlRiverDelta #BogueForts #Tanka #RoyalNavy #MichaelSeymour #QingDynasty #ChineseCollaborators #OpiumWars #BombardmentOfCanton #FexingoHistory #History #EastAsiaHistory #19thCentury #NavalHistory #Espionage Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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