Well I suppose all stereotypes have at least an anecdotal connection to reality. But afaik, the British have been going to war over tea (and, as a symbol of trade) for centuries. The so-called opium wars were not really so much about opium but about the triangle trade with China and India - including tea, silver, wool and silk.
Speaking of stereotypes, the stereotype of the Chinese Opium Den... well, the British were importing opium to China. It is not or was not a native plant or a native practice until it was smuggled into China from India (from Afghanistan/Pakistan) by British and Dutch traders.
The triangle trade was insidious - the Brits used india as a captive supplier and manufacturer and then sold to the Chinese. The Brits kept all the profits as a drug lord.
It’s amazing if you think about it - it’s as if the Venezuelan drug lords had a powerful navy and forced the USA to take drugs - the Brits did just that to the Qing.
That’s why the Bengal famines occured — before British rule started there in 1757 there were no famines and the area was among the richest in the world. After 1757 they increased taxes from 10% to 45% then 55% and then made it a flat value no matter whether the crops succeeded or failed.
There were multiple famines in Bengal (what is now Bangladesh + Indian states of West Bengal and Bihar) but none post 1947.
...triangle trade...
SPEAKING of which — here’s a quirky-cool blast from the electronic past (NO, it’s not a virus, ggeeeezz):
Try not to get addicted.