PublishedPicador, September 2011 |
ISBN9781742610528 |
FormatSoftcover, 480 pages |
Dimensions23.4cm × 15.6cm × 3.7cm |
In the 1800s Britain was making a mint selling Indian opium to China. In return, they were buying tea, silks and ceramics. When eventually China decided that the drug trade was ruining her people, the British declared war, declaring China 'protectionist', 'backwards-looking' and 'superstitious'.
For two years Britain pummelled China's east coast, forcing her to sign a humiliating treaty allowing Britain full trading access. Julia Lovell expands this story, digging beneath the propaganda and misinformation to present a refreshing and compelling new take.
