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Press Release from the office of the
Mayor / Date: Tuesday, May 18, 1999
MAYOR GIULIANI SIGNS BILL THAT ADDS THE NAME "COMMISSIONER LIN ZE
XU SQUARE" TO EAST BROADWAY BETWEEN OLIVER AND CATHERINE STREETS
WITHIN CHATHAM SQUARE IN CHINATOWN -Remarks By Mayor Rudolph W.
Giuliani At Public Hearing On Local Laws-
Lin Ze Xu was born in China in 1785. On December 31, 1838 he was
appointed by the Emperor as Imperial Commissioner with the mission
to eradicate opium in China. The sale of opium by the East India
Company had jumped from 40,000 pounds in 1729 to three and one-half
million pounds in 1832. In this position he proceeded to confiscate
2,600,000 pounds of opium and supervised its destruction during
a 23-day campaign beginning on June 3, 1839 in Humen, China. This
action served to ignite the Opium War with Britain. Three years
later, China had lost the war and Lin Ze Xu lost his title. However,
through his efforts he became a symbol of moral resistance to the
invasion of drugs wherever their source. Commissioner Lin Ze Xu's
fight against narcotics during the Ching Dynasty earned him the
distinction of becoming a national hero of China. He passed away
in 1850.
In recognition of his efforts, The United Nations has declared
June 26th, the anniversary of the day after the completion of the
opium destruction, as International Anti-Narcotic Day. In honor
of his untiring efforts to rid China of opium, it is fitting that
East Broadway between Oliver Street and Catherine Street within
Chatham Square in Chinatown, be named "Commissioner Lin Ze
Xu Square."
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