Editing Lin Zexu (section)

==Exile in Xinjiang==
Lin made significant preparations for war against the possible British invasion. The British sailed north to attack Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The governors of these two provinces failed to heed a warning from Lin, however, and were unprepared when the British easily landed and occupied Dinghai.

This unpreparedness was partly due to the Qing dynasty's ongoing issues with corruption and inefficiency within the local governments. These problems hindered their ability to respond effectively to Lin's warnings.

Lin became a scapegoat for these losses due to court politics. As punishment, he was exiled to the remote [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture|Ili]] region in Xinjiang. His position was then given to [[Qishan (official)|Qishan]] in September 1840.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Platt |first=Stephen |title=Imperial Twilight |publisher=Penguin Random House |location=United States of America |publication-date=May 15, 2018 |pages=412–413 |chapter=Will and Destiny}}</ref>

While in Xinjiang, Lin was the first Chinese scholar to record several aspects of Muslim culture there. In 1850, he noted in a poem that the Muslims in Ili did not worship idols but bowed and prayed to tombs decorated with poles that had the tails of cows and horses attached to them. This was the widespread shamanic practice of erecting a ''[[tugh]]'', but this was its first recorded appearance in Chinese writings. He also recorded several [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] oral tales, such as one concerning a green goat spirit of the lake whose appearance is a harbinger of hail or rain.<ref>{{citation| title=The Chinese Literary Conquest of Xinjiang| last=Newby| first=L.J.| journal=Modern China| volume=25| year=1999| pages=451–474| issue=4| doi=10.1177/009770049902500403| jstor=189447| s2cid=144387079}}</ref>

Lin’s documentation of these practices contributed to a broader understanding of ethnic minorities in China, showcasing the diversity of cultural practices within the empire at the time

The Qing government ultimately [[Political rehabilitation|rehabilitated]] Lin. In 1845, he was appointed [[Governor-General of Shaan-Gan]] ([[Shaanxi]]-[[Gansu]]). In 1847, he became [[governor-General of Yun-Gui]] ([[Yunnan]]-[[Guizhou]]). While these posts were considered less prestigious, Lin continued to advocate for reform in opium policy and addressed issues of local governance and corruption. His efforts remained influential, albeit limited, in shaping Qing policy. These posts were less prestigious than his previous position in Canton, thus his career never fully recovered from the failures there.<ref>On the progress of war, and Lin Zexu's role, see {{harvnb|Kuo|1935}}.</ref>