On February 25, 1850, Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty died of illness. He ascended the throne at a time when the Qing Dynasty was in decline, with internal and external difficulties and a serious opium trade. At the strong request of some enlightened bureaucrats, in order to save the country's financial crisis, he advocated smoking bans and ordered Lin Zexu to go to Guangzhou to ban smoking as an imperial minister. But under pressure from Britain and other countries, he insisted on seeking peace. China began to degenerate into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.