Editing Lin Zexu (section)

{{Short description|Chinese scholar-official (1785–1850)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Lin Zexu
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = Portrait of Lin Zexu.jpeg
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = An 1850 drawing of Lin
| order               = [[Viceroy of Liangguang]]
| term_start          = 21 January 1840
| term_end            = 3 October 1840
| predecessor         = [[Deng Tingzhen]]
| successor           = [[Qishan (Qing dynasty)|Qishan]]
| order1              = [[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan]]
| term1               = 1845 {{small|(acting)}}
| predecessor1        = Buyantai
| successor1          = Yang Yizeng {{small|(acting)}}
| order2              = [[Viceroy of Yun-Gui]]
| term_start2         = 30 April 1847
| term_end2           = 10 September 1849
| predecessor2        = [[Li Xingyuan]] (Li Hsing-yüan)<ref name="worldstatesmen.org">[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/China_prov.html China Provinces and Administrative Divisions]</ref>
| successor2          = [[Cheng Yuzai]] (Ch'eng Yü-tsai)<ref name="worldstatesmen.org"/>
| order3              = [[Viceroy of Huguang]]
| term_start3         = February 1837
| term_end3           = December 1838
| predecessor3        = [[Nergingge]]
| successor3          = Zhou Tianjue
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1785|8|30|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Houguan County]], [[Fujian]], [[Qing Empire]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1850|11|22|1785|8|30|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Puning|Puning County]], [[Guangdong]], Qing Empire
| occupation          = Philosopher, politician
| education           = ''[[Jinshi]]'' 進士 degree
| battles             = [[First Opium War]]
| relations            = [[Shen Baozhen]] (son-in-law)
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Lin Zexu
| showflag = st
| s = 林则徐
| t = 林則徐
| p = Lín Zéxú
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|l|in|2|-|z|e|2|.|x|ü|2}}
| w = Lin<sup>2</sup> Tsê<sup>2</sup>-hsü<sup>2</sup>
| gr = Lin Tzershyu
| j = Lam<sup>4</sup> Zak<sup>1</sup>-ceoi<sup>4</sup>
| y = Làhm Jākchèuih
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|l|am|4|-|z|ak|1|.|c|eoi|4}}
| poj = Lîm Chek-sû
| tl = Lîm Tsik-tshî
| buc = Lìng Cáik-sù<nowiki>̤</nowiki>
| altname = [[Courtesy name]]
| s2 = 元抚
| t2 = 元撫
| p2 = Yuánfǔ<br />{{IPAc-cmn|yuan|2|f|u|3}}
| w2 = Yüan<sup>2</sup>-fu<sup>3</sup>
| gr2 = Yuanfuu
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Lin (surname)|Lin]]|lang=Chinese}}
'''Lin Zexu''' (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), [[courtesy name]] '''Yuanfu''', was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was a head of state ([[Viceroy]]), Governor General, [[scholar-official]], and under the [[Daoguang Emperor]] of the [[Qing dynasty]] best known for his role in the [[First Opium War]] of 1839–42. He was from [[Fuzhou]], [[Fujian|Fujian Province]]. Lin's forceful opposition to the [[opium]] trade was a primary catalyst for the First Opium War. He is praised for his constant position on the "moral high ground" in his fight, but he is also blamed for a rigid approach which failed to account for the domestic and international complexities of the problem.{{sfnb|Spence|1999| p = 131}} The Emperor endorsed the hardline policies and anti-drugs movement advocated by Lin, but placed all responsibility for the resulting disastrous [[First Opium War|Opium War]] onto Lin.{{sfnb|Spence|1999| pp = 152–158}} However, Lin's efforts against the opium trade was appreciated by drug prohibition activists and revered as a [[culture hero]] in Chinese culture, symbolizes drug abuse resistance in China.