The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China

By Julia Lovell

Categories: History

Historian Julia Lovell tells the story of the Opium War between Britain and China from 1839 to 1842 and its long legacy. She describes how British merchants and officials pushed the opium trade into China, and how the war forced China to open its ports. Lovell also shows how the conflict has been remembered and used in Chinese politics ever since, becoming a foundation of modern Chinese nationalism.

Recommended by 1 person

• Shane Parrish: “― This book describes the mid-19th century conflict between Great Britain and China and the reverberations that remain to this day.”