Lin Zexu (林則徐) was a Chinese scholar and official of the Qing dynasty, best known for his role in the events leading up to the First Opium War (1839–1842). He is considered a national hero in China for his opposition to the opium trade.

• Born on August 30, 1785, in Houguan (modern Fuzhou, Fujian Province).
• His father, Lin Binri, was a teacher.
• In 1811, he obtained the Jinshi degree in the imperial examination and gained admission to the Hanlin Academy.
• He rose through various provincial service positions and was known for his administrative skills.
• Served as Governor-General of Hunan and Hubei in 1837, where he launched a campaign against opium trading.
• Collected material for a geography of the world, reflecting his interest in Western knowledge. He later gave this material to Wei Yuan, who published the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms in 1843.

• In 1838, Emperor Daoguang appointed Lin as imperial commissioner to halt the illegal importation of opium by the British.
• In 1839, Lin arrived in Guangdong and took measures to eliminate the opium trade.
• He wrote an open letter to Queen Victoria, urging England to end the opium trade, arguing that China was providing Britain with valuable commodities while Britain sent only "poison" in return.
• He arrested over 1,700 Chinese opium dealers and confiscated over 70,000 opium pipes.
• In March 1839, Lin demanded foreign companies forfeit their opium stores.
• He confiscated and destroyed nearly 1.2 million kg (2.6 million pounds) of opium at Humen, mixing it with lime and salt and throwing it into the sea (June 1839).
• This destruction of opium led to open hostilities between China and Britain, starting the First Opium War in 1839.

• Following early defeats in the Opium War, Lin was made a scapegoat and exiled to the Ili region in Xinjiang in September 1840.
• While in Xinjiang, he documented aspects of Muslim culture and Kazakh oral tales.
• The Qing government rehabilitated Lin, and in 1845, he was appointed Governor-General of Shaan-Gan (Shaanxi-Gansu).
• In 1847, he became Governor-General of Yun-Gui (Yunnan-Guizhou).

• Lin died in 1850 while on the way to Guangxi Province to help put down the Taiping Rebellion.
• His reputation was rehabilitated in the last years of the Qing dynasty and he became a symbol of the fight against opium and drug trades.
• Herbert Giles, an English sinologist, praised Lin as a fine scholar, just official, and true patriot.

• Lin's former home in Fuzhou is open to the public, documenting his work as an official.
• June 3, the day when Lin confiscated the chests of opium, is unofficially celebrated as Opium Suppression Movement Day in Taiwan.
• Monuments to Lin have been constructed in Chinese communities around the world, including a statue in Chatham Square in Chinatown, New York City.
• He has been depicted in films, such as the 1997 movie The Opium War.
• The Chinese play Lin Zexu was broadcast via ultra-high-definition livestream to theaters and universities across China.

• Lin initially opposed opening China but recognized the need for knowledge of foreigners.
• He believed China should learn more about the "barbarians" and import their technology.
• He arranged for the translation of Western materials and, after his dismissal, passed these on to Wei Yuan, who compiled the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms.
• After experiencing both British and Russian interactions, Lin considered Russia a greater threat to China's defense than Britain.