The social life of opium in China
"In a broad-ranging narrative, Zheng Yangwen'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 500 years, asking who introduced opium to China, how it spread through 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, offers a vivid and alternative perspective on life in China, which will be embraced by students of history, anthropology and sociology, and all those with an interest in China."--Jacket
Print Book, English, 2005
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2005
History
xiii, 241 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
9780521846080, 9780521608565, 0521846080, 0521608562
56103922
'The art of alchemists, sex and court ladies'
As the empire changed hands
'The age of calicoes and tea and opium'
'A hobby among the high and the low in officialdom'
Taste-making and trendsetting
The political redefinition of opium consumption
Outward and downward 'liquidation'
'The volume of smoke and powder'
'The unofficial history of the poppy'
Opiate of the people
The road to St. Louis
'Shanghai vice'