Battle of the Barrier

Battle of the Barrier
Part of the First Opium War
View of the Barrier Gate on the isthmus connecting the Macao Peninsula to the mainland (published 1844)
Date 19 August 1840 Location Macao, China 22°12′53″N 113°32′56″E / 22.21472°N 113.54889°E / 22.21472; 113.54889 Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom British East India Company	Qing China
Commanders and leaders
Henry Smith	Yi Zhongfu[1]
Strength
2 sloops 1 frigate 1 steamer 1 transport ship 380 troops (land force)	2,000 troops[2] 8 junks[2]
Casualties and losses
4 wounded[3]	50–60 killed[3][4] 100–120 wounded[4]

The Battle of the Barrier (Chinese: 澳門之戰) was fought between British and Chinese forces at the boundary separating Macao from the Chinese mainland on 19 August 1840 during the First Opium War. Located in modern-day Portas do Cerco, the Macao Peninsula was connected to Xiangshan Island by a narrow isthmus about 100 m (330 ft) wide and 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long.^[5] A wall called the Barrier was built across the isthmus in 1573, and it served as Macao's border.^[6]