China winning the opium war

[aware of emptiness]

What would it take for China to be able to win the opium war and kick out the British? If so, what would be the results?

[Iñaki]

I suppose that a lot of military and politic reforms in the XVIII Century, it is possible although not too much because it implies a total change in the manner of thinking of the chinese emperor and bureaucracy.

[Fabilius]

Less arrogance. If they had treated the british as a real opponent, they might have come up with a good enough strategy. The british had better military and weapons no doubt. But the Chinese should be able to outnumber them, and maybe use their knowledge of the territory.

The effects would have been considerable.

[Lord Brisbane]

There was no way even remotely that the Chinese could win. Maybe do less badly and no suffer as much but the end was inevitable, but this relies on the combination of so many different factors, that its bordering the realms of fantasy.

[NapoleonXIV]

Had the Imperial government listened to Lin Hse tsu and adopted an almost Japanese style program of modernization in 1842 they might have done much better in 1856. The problem, however, was with the system that disgraced and marginalized Lin for his part in the first Opium war rather than promoting him for attacking both the Opium trade itself and the corruption it was causing in Chinese society.