In July 1840 British forces arrived off the coast of China to begin what would become the 1st Opium War.

Despite an overwhelming military superiority the commander of the British forces, Charles Elliot, seemed unable to break through Qing delaying tactics with diplomacy, and was hesitant to escalate the war by seizing (and looting!) cities and towns en masse. 

The next year would be a series of skirmishes, battles, negotiations and delays, that would accomplish little aside from wasting British time and killing thousands of Qing Soldiers.  Eventually after this lack of success, and perceived 'soft' treatment of the Chinese,  Elliot would follow the fate of Lin Zexu (林則徐) and be replaced.

Alongside the British perspective, we also discuss the observations of Chinese Scholar Wei Yuan,  who was involved with the conflict, and wrote his own opinions on the causes and problems of the war (道光洋艘征撫記).

Some interesting journals:
Narrative on the Expedition to China (Volume 2): John Elliot Bingham
https://books.google.com/books?id=8TGwqgOCFR0C

SELECTIONS FROM LIEUTENANT CHARLES CAMERON'S DIARY DURING THE PERIOD OF THE CHINESE WAR, 1840-41
https://www.jstor.org/stable/44232776?read-now=1&seq=3#page_scan_tab_contents