
- 481 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
This "crisp and readable account" of the nineteenth century British campaign sheds light on modern Chinese identity through "a heartbreaking story of war" (
The Wall Street Journal).
In October 1839, a Windsor cabinet meeting voted to begin the first Opium War against China. Bureaucratic fumbling, military missteps, and a healthy dose of political opportunism and collaboration followed. Rich in tragicomedy,
The Opium War explores the disastrous British foreign-relations move that became a founding myth of modern Chinese nationalism, and depicts China's heroic struggle against Western conspiracy.
Julia Lovell examines the causes and consequences of the Opium War, interweaving tales of the opium pushers and dissidents. More importantly, she analyses how the Opium Wars shaped China's self-image and created an enduring model for its interactions with the West, plagued by delusion and prejudice.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Praise
- Also by Julia Lovell
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Preface
- Contents
- Maps
- A Note About Chinese Names and Romanization
- Introduction
- One: Opium and China
- Two: Daoguangâs Decision
- Three: Canton Spring
- Four: Opium and Lime
- Five: The First Shots
- Six: âAn Explanatory Declarationâ
- Seven: Sweet-Talk and Sea-Slug
- Eight: Qishanâs Downfall
- Nine: The Siege of Canton
- Ten: The UnEnglished Englishman
- Eleven: Xiamen and Zhoushan
- Twelve: A Winter in Suzhou
- Thirteen: The Fight for Qing China
- Fourteen: The Treaty of Nanjing
- Fifteen: Peace and War
- Sixteen: The Yellow Peril
- Seventeen: The National Disease
- Eighteen: Communist Conspiracies
- Nineteen: Conclusion
- Principal Characters
- Timeline
- Notes
- Selected Bibliography
- Acknowledgements
- Index
- About the Author