The Social Life of Opium in China
Author | : Zheng Yangwen |
Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
Total Pages | : 268 |
Release | : 2005-09-08 |
ISBN-10 | : 0521846080 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780521846080 |
Rating | : 4/5 (80 Downloads) |
Download or read book The Social Life of Opium in China written by Zheng Yangwen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-09-08 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a remarkable and broad-ranging narrative, Yangwen Zheng's book explores the history of opium consumption in China from 1483 to the late twentieth century. The story begins in the mid-Ming dynasty, when opium was sent as a gift by vassal states and used as an aphrodisiac in court. Over time, the Chinese people from different classes and regions began to use it for recreational purposes, so beginning a complex culture of opium consumption. The book traces this transformation over a period of five hundred years, asking who introduced opium to China, how it spread across all sections of society, embraced by rich and poor alike as a culture and an institution. The book, which is accompanied by a fascinating collection of illustrations, will appeal to students and scholars of history, anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, and all those with an interest in China.