175 years ago today, on November 22, 1850 (October 19, 1850 lunar calendar), modern China watched the death of Lin Zexu, the first man in the world. Lin Zexu (1785-1850) Lin Zexu was a great patriot of our country in modern times. His greatness was not only in resolutely resisting foreign invaders, safeguarding national dignity and national independence, but also in that he first opened his eyes to see the world, diligently pursued Western knowledge, and created a new generation of learning from the West in modern China. Lin Zexu was a native of Fuzhou, Fujian. Before the anti-smoking movement, he held important positions such as river workers, water transportation, and salt administration. During his feudal career as an official, he gradually showed his shrewd and capable work ability and honest and upright style. Due to his loyalty to the feudal rule, he was reused by Emperor Daoguang, and served as governor of Jiangsu and governor of Huguang. During his tenure, he saw the harm of opium and proposed six methods to ban opium, including preparing addiction pills, forcing smokers to quit, and searching for bong soil paste. In March 1839, Lin Zexu was ordered to Guangzhou to ban opium. He actively prepared for Haiphong, believing that "the hearts of the people can be used", and called on the people to organize armed groups and recruit 5,000 people of Shuiyong. He publicly called on the people to defend their homes and the country, declaring that "as soon as the British and Japanese soldiers enter the river, everyone is allowed to be killed with a knife." Lin Zexu informed foreign opium traffickers that they should hand over all opium within three days, and must promise never to carry opium. He himself said, "If the opium goes on for a day, this minister will not return for a day, and I swear to stay with this matter, and there will be no reason to stop it." Due to the determined struggle of the Chinese people, the British and American opium traders were forced to surrender more than 2.3 million catties of opium. Lin Zexu presided over the public destruction of all opium on Humen Beach. The destruction of opium at Humen showed the world that the Chinese people have a strong will and determination to get rid of tobacco drugs and resist foreign aggression. Lin Zexu was an outstanding representative of resisting foreign aggression at that time, and he was also the "first person to open his eyes to the world" in the Qing Dynasty. China is a big country in Asia and has a long history of trading with foreign countries. However, the political corruption of the Qing Dynasty, closed-door, arrogant, and long-term rejection of Western science, made the Chinese society at that time full of superstition and ignorance, and people were ignorant of the world outside China. Many senior officials of the Qing government did not understand how big the world was, how far Britain was from China, and where the United States was. Some foreigners ridiculed "The Chinese government does not know anything about foreign political affairs, and does not ask about exams, so China still does not know the West." In order to know oneself and the enemy, understand the situation of Western countries, and facilitate future struggles, Lin Zexu led some people to translate foreign books and newspapers in his yamen. At that time, translating books was considered a rebellious thing, so it required a lot of courage. He organized the translation of the "World Geography Encyclopedia" written by the Englishman Mu Rui and compiled it into "The Chronicle of the Four Continents". The book recorded the geography and history of more than 30 countries on the five continents of the world. Then he translated and compiled the book "Hua Xia Yi Yan" to understand foreign views on Chinese affairs. By constantly expanding his horizons and summarizing experience, Lin Zexu's international knowledge and strategic thinking gradually enriched. He separated the main enemy of the time, Britain, from the United States, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal, thereby isolating the enemy. He also separated the British official from the merchants, and the legitimate merchants from the opium dealers, which were all strategically significant. Lin Zexu advocated buying Western artillery and ships to resist Western aggression. This is an important aspect of his active absorption of foreign advanced technology. In the politically corrupt Qing Dynasty, with outdated armaments and outdated weapons, Lin Zexu imported guns from the West in addition to making his own weapons. He bought an imperial 1080-ton steamer Camillage from American merchants and converted it into a soldier ship. In January 1840, he began equipping Humen Fortress with 200 modern guns bought from overseas. Lin Zexu is famous for his strict smoking ban and is famous for maintaining legitimate Sino-foreign trade. He worked hard to break through the confinement of closed-minded feudal consciousness and seriously investigated the world outside China, setting a precedent for the closed-minded and blindly xenophobic feudal society at that time, becoming a pioneer of modern reform thought. Lin Zexu destruction of opium at Humen