The opium funnelling was a massive problem, infact the single biggest problem Qing Dynasty rulers had. Christianity was used in conjunction, and the lie of "laissez faire" Western trade was well understood. The goal was to colonise China, the way India was for 200 years, and suck the money out. The money reasoning is simple – India and China were the richest countries in the world, effectively having half of the world's wealth, because originally only three civilisations existed for thousands of years (Egyptian, Indian and Chinese).

I suggest you check Nathan Rich's Epic China series. It is incredibly detailed, far more than any historical material you could possibly find and attempt to have the slightest coherent compiling of, or whatever media/history outlets have.