The opium war : drugs, dreams and the making of China
Lovell, Julia, 1975-2026
Books
In October 1839, Britain entered the first Opium War with China. Its brutality notwithstanding, the conflict was also threaded with tragicomedy: with Victorian hypocrisy, bureaucratic fumblings, military missteps, political opportunism and collaboration. Yet over the past 170 years, this strange tale of misunderstanding, incompetence and compromise has become the founding episode of modern Chinese nationalism. Starting from this first conflict, 'The Opium War' explores how China's national myths mould its interactions with the outside world, how public memory is spun to serve the present, and how delusion and prejudice have bedevilled its relationship with the modern West.
Main title:
The opium war : drugs, dreams and the making of China / Julia Lovell.
Author:
Lovell, Julia, 1975-, author
Imprint:
London : Picador, 2026.
Collation:
512 pages ; 20 cm.
Series title:
ISBN:
9781035091324 (pbk. :)
Dewey class:
951.033
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
9072114