1840: Why the 19th-century opium wars between imperial China and Britain are still relevant in modern China

In his speech at the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October, President Xi Jinping said ancient China was a great nation.

But things changed after the opium war of 1840, he added.

"China was plunged into the darkness of domestic turmoil and foreign aggression; its people were ravaged by wars, saw their homeland torn, and lived in poverty and despair," Xi told CPC members gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the weeklong leadership meeting, which is held once every five years.