Editing Lin Zexu (section)

==Early life and career==
[[File:Commissioner Lin 2.png|thumb|An 1843 drawing of Lin]]
Lin was born in Houguan (侯官; modern [[Fuzhou]], [[Fujian|Fujian Province]]) towards the end of the [[Qianlong Emperor]]'s reign. His father, Lin Binri ({{lang|zh|林賓日}}), served as an official under the Qing government. His family was from a declining land holding clan, and generations of the family had been progressively bankrupted by preparing for the civil services examination. Lin Binri himself had allegedly ruined his eyesight fruitlessly preparing for this examination and he put his sons through the same preparation in hopes of reviving his family fortune.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Spotify |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/354AegKt0Xk1KYorZTCdlV?si=LXp8d0dZSyyqTbGTtYhUBw |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=open.spotify.com}}</ref> Lin Zexu was the second son in the family. He had begun studying the classics when he was three years old.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Lovell |first=Julia |title=THE OPIUM WAR Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China |publisher=Picador |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4472-0410-7 |location=London}}</ref> As a child, he was already "unusually brilliant".{{Sfn|Lee|2005|p=3}} At age 12, he passed the county level exam, at age 19 he passed provincial level exam and at age 26, in 1811, he passed the metropolitan level exam in his third attempt, he obtained the position of advanced ''[[Imperial examination#Degree types|Jinshi]]'' ({{lang|zh|進士}}) in the [[imperial examination]], and in the same year he gained admission to the [[Hanlin Academy]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Despite opportunities for personal enrichment, Lin Zexu's modest upbringing steered him toward a career of exceptional bureaucratic virtue. For twenty-five years leading up to his famed intervention in the opium crisis, he was celebrated for his tireless dedication to public service, addressing issues such as hunting down pirates, repairing dams, mitigating floods, and managing the salt tax. His incorruptibility earned him the moniker ‘Lin Qingtian’ (Lin Clear-as-the-Heavens), and he was driven by a profound commitment to alleviate the suffering of the populace, feeling as though his "heart were on fire, his liver being stabbed" when he witnessed their distress. In his various roles, he consistently rooted out corruption, solidifying his reputation as an invaluable administrative asset.<ref name=":1" /> Lin's scholarly excellence earned him widespread recognition, elevating his career prospects.  He rose rapidly through various grades of provincial service. He opposed the opening of China but felt the need of a better knowledge of foreigners, which drove him to collect material for a geography of the world. His interest in Western knowledge reflected his pragmatic views, acknowledging foreign influence while resisting Western domination. He later gave this material to [[Wei Yuan]], who published the ''[[Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms]]'' in 1843. He became [[Governor-General (China)|Governor-General]] of [[Hunan]] and [[Hubei]] in 1837, where he launched a suppression campaign against the trading of opium. Lin’s role as Governor-General was pivotal in leading China’s anti-opium efforts, reflecting his strong moral stance against the drug trade.{{sfnb|Spence|1999| pp = 152–158}} Initially he was in favour of legalizing opium trade and considered growing the poppies inside China to stop the outflow of silver, but he soon changed his mind after the debate in the court was going in favour of stopping the opium trade altogether.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Spotify |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/38Hdhnw16I5aG112MPW8ue?si=7OcjwpGyRBaqT2DCs-pjSQ |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=open.spotify.com}}</ref>