Abstract: During the First Opium War, there were no substantive differences between the firing rate, range, precision, of Chinese and British muzzle-loader and smooth-bore cannons.However, the British army’s theory of artillery, material used to make the cannons, quality of their ammunition, casting technology, carronade’s performance, mobility and firing rate of its canons, were superior to Chinese army.Meanwhile, the quantity, quality, tactics, and organization of the Qing army, as well as its intelligence, training, and quality of the commanding officers were inferior to British army.These factors influenced the effective kill rate of Chinese and British cannons, magnified the limited gap between two countries’artillery, and created enormous differences in fighting capacity between the two armies.