The Opium Wars

The Addiction of One Empire and the Corruption of Another

Nonfiction, History, Military, Other
Cover of the book The Opium Wars by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D., Sourcebooks
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D. ISBN: 9781402252051
Publisher: Sourcebooks Publication: February 1, 2004
Imprint: Sourcebooks Language: English
Author: Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
ISBN: 9781402252051
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication: February 1, 2004
Imprint: Sourcebooks
Language: English

In this tragic and powerful story, the two Opium Wars of 1839–1842 and 1856–1860 between Britain and China are recounted for the first time through the eyes of the Chinese as well as the Imperial West. Opium entered China during the Middle Ages when Arab traders brought it into China for medicinal purposes. As it took hold as a recreational drug, opium wrought havoc on Chinese society. By the early nineteenth century, 90 percent of the Emperor's court and the majority of the army were opium addicts.

Britain was also a nation addicted-to tea, grown in China, and paid for with profits made from the opium trade. When China tried to ban the use of the drug and bar its Western smugglers from it gates, England decided to fight to keep open China's ports for its importation. England, the superpower of its time, managed to do so in two wars, resulting in a drug-induced devastation of the Chinese people that would last 150 years.

In this page-turning, dramatic and colorful history, The Opium Wars responds to past, biased Western accounts by representing the neglected Chinese version of the story and showing how the wars stand as one of the monumental clashes between the cultures of East and West.

"A fine popular account."-Publishers Weekly

"Their account of the causes, military campaigns and tragic effects of these wars is absorbing, frequently macabre and deeply unsettling."-Booklist

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this tragic and powerful story, the two Opium Wars of 1839–1842 and 1856–1860 between Britain and China are recounted for the first time through the eyes of the Chinese as well as the Imperial West. Opium entered China during the Middle Ages when Arab traders brought it into China for medicinal purposes. As it took hold as a recreational drug, opium wrought havoc on Chinese society. By the early nineteenth century, 90 percent of the Emperor's court and the majority of the army were opium addicts.

Britain was also a nation addicted-to tea, grown in China, and paid for with profits made from the opium trade. When China tried to ban the use of the drug and bar its Western smugglers from it gates, England decided to fight to keep open China's ports for its importation. England, the superpower of its time, managed to do so in two wars, resulting in a drug-induced devastation of the Chinese people that would last 150 years.

In this page-turning, dramatic and colorful history, The Opium Wars responds to past, biased Western accounts by representing the neglected Chinese version of the story and showing how the wars stand as one of the monumental clashes between the cultures of East and West.

"A fine popular account."-Publishers Weekly

"Their account of the causes, military campaigns and tragic effects of these wars is absorbing, frequently macabre and deeply unsettling."-Booklist

More books from Sourcebooks

Cover of the book The Wild Irish Sea by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Come Back to Me by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Free College Resource Book: Inside Secrets From Two Parents Who Put Five Kids Through College for Next to Nothing by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book All's Fair in Love and Wolf by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Wait for Me by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Falling for You by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book The $100,000+ Career by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Rescue! by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Beautiful Mess by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book A Single Kiss by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Incorporate in Florida by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book The Best Summer Drinks by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Using the National Gifted Education Standards for Teacher Preparation by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Painted Veil by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
Cover of the book Beast Friends Forever by Frank Sanello, W. Hanes III, Ph.D.
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy