The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China
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- Author：Julia Lovell
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Summary
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 hundred and seventy 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。
Reviews
Casey
，
A good book， providing a history of the mid-nineteenth century conflicts between Britain and China， with an emphasis on their impact on the relation between the West and China。 The author， historian Julia Lovell， does a good job providing the British and Chinese points of view， both in the contemporary setting and as interpreted today。 There is a sufficient amount of background to the book before diving into the events in the late 1830s leading to the First Opium War。 This first conflict is cove A good book， providing a history of the mid-nineteenth century conflicts between Britain and China， with an emphasis on their impact on the relation between the West and China。 The author， historian Julia Lovell， does a good job providing the British and Chinese points of view， both in the contemporary setting and as interpreted today。 There is a sufficient amount of background to the book before diving into the events in the late 1830s leading to the First Opium War。 This first conflict is covered in great detail， from the initial diplomatic back-and-forth through to the final negotiations。 Unfortunately， the events leading up to the second conflict in the late 1850s， and the many events of the Second Opium War are rushed through。 Really the only element of the second conflict discussed in detail is the destruction of the Summer Palace， a seminal event in Chinese history。 The book concentrates more on the economic， political， and cultural underpinnings of the wars than their military progress。 Though there is a decent amount of military history， but Lovell strives to talk more about the why than the how。 The best part of the book are the final chapters， presenting both a detailed conclusion to the conflict and a short history of the West's relation to China resulting from the wars。 A great book for anyone wanting to better understand the significant role the Opium Wars play in influencing current Chinese policy。 Highly recommended for anyone want to better appreciate the economic and political factors at play between Britain and China in the mid-nineteenth century。 。。。more
Tristram Shandy
，
“Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past。”Somewhere near the end of her intriguing monograph on The Opium War and its consequences for Sino-Western relations， Julia Lovell uses the well-known quotation from Orwell’s classic 1984， which once again made it clear to me how important it is to cultivate a critical understanding of history – and also of meta-history – and to try and get the facts straight in the first place （a demand which may be quite bol “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past。”Somewhere near the end of her intriguing monograph on The Opium War and its consequences for Sino-Western relations， Julia Lovell uses the well-known quotation from Orwell’s classic 1984， which once again made it clear to me how important it is to cultivate a critical understanding of history – and also of meta-history – and to try and get the facts straight in the first place （a demand which may be quite bold in the face of whatever meta-history teaches us）。 Lovell’s intention not only to give a detailed account on the First Opium War from 1839 to 1842， which ended with the first “Unequal Treaty” of Nanjing， but also to take a look at how the war shaped the way the West thought and still thinks of China and vice-versa and how it was eventually used by the Chinese nationalists and the CCP for propagandistic reasons， is also mirrored in the sub-title Drugs， Dreams and the Making of China。In the first part of the book， Lovell gives us a detailed account of the prelude to the First Opium War and to the events of the actual war itself， and she does this from various angles， which also shows that neither the British nor the Chinese side should be thought of as monolithic blocs of interests。 For all the bigotry on the British side， trying to dress up the original aim of avoiding a trade deficit by the export of opium from India with highfalutin claims of opening up a perversely arrogant and isolationist China to “the world”， also in the interests of thousands of Chinese subjects， there were also British voices who denounced the opium trade – even though technically， the British government had no hand in it – as a national shame and a large-scale crime。 Lovell also shows how the question of whether the nation should go to war about the opium question became a （two-edged） sword in party politics between the Whigs and the Tories， and how quick many of the opponents were in changing sides once the British troops showed victorious in 1842。 On the Chinese side， Lovell paints a picture of an emperor， whose underlings fed him with false reports or made their own deals with the English for the sake of their own political careers。 Lovell also does away with one-sided portraits of men like Charles Elliot， Superintendent of Trade in China and the first British plenipotentiary in China， who was definitely not the jingoistic demon that contemporary Chinese historiography makes him out to be， or Lin Zexu， whose fight against opium was not totally motivated by his desire to keep China free from the drug but also by more profane career thinking on his own behalf。 All in all， her presentation of the events in question shows that history works in many hues of grey。The second part of her book， Chapters 15 to 19， starting with a rather sketchy overview over the second Opium War， explores how this conflict shaped western-Chinese relations and also became an important tool in the hands of both Chinese nationalists （like Sun Yat-Sen） and communists in their attempts at creating an awareness among Chinese people of China as a nation being exploited， tricked and undermined by the west。 In this context， it was interesting for me to read that Chinese contemporaries of the First Opium War never really thought of the conflict as a war but regarded it as a rebellion of the English against the authority of the Qing dynasty。 Only in the decades to come was the term “war” applied to England’s military strike against the Chinese Empire。 Towards the end of the book， Lovell also points out that Communist endeavours to whip up their people’s nationalist feelings against “the west” may easily reach the tipping point of getting out of control and making people criticize their own government for its cooperation with the west。 Personally， I was very intrigued by Lovell’s chapter on the “Yellow Peril”， which shows that large parts of public opinion in Britain were very much opposed to the opium trade and that the British public also had a bad conscience with regard to the enforced import of the drug into China。 However， this bad conscience did not eventually lead to a more emphatic and benevolent attitude towards China， but on the contrary， it drove many British people to think of the Chinese as a dark and vengeful threat because after all that had been done to the Chinese， would it not be perfectly normal for them to lust for revenge and to poison the “innocent” British with the help of opium in their turn？ Apart from the facts and developments Lovell presents， she also has a knack for writing in an extremely， yet unobtrusively witty style， placing a wry comment here and there to show the absurdity of certain decisions or arguments。 This is often neither here nor there but makes for a delightful reading experience， as for example when she comments on the great humbug Marx:”Despite the chaos of his own circumstances， Marx retained a robust belief in his ability to pronounce on the affairs of the world。” Furthermore， the book is very reader-friendly in that it includes an overview of people playing a central role in the Opium Wars or in their historiographical reception as well as a chronology of major events dealt with by Lovell。 All in all， this book can be read and understood also by those readers whose knowledge on the Opium Wars and on Chinese history is sketchy – after all， I had no problems following the author’s thoughts –， and yet it provides deep-going and differentiated insight into the topic。 After reading it， I will certainly keep the author on my radar。 。。。more
Nomdo
，
Dry and boring verbal diarrhoea of facts。 A rather fascinating topic was presented in such a way that it was next to impossible to digest。
Nick Caputo
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Highly useful dive into the histories of the Opium War and how it's remembered today。 Read Autumn 2019 Highly useful dive into the histories of the Opium War and how it's remembered today。 Read Autumn 2019 。。。more
Neil Thomas
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This is a brilliant history book and provides an absolutely fascinating insight into China and its relationship with the West （and vice versa）。I cannot recommend it highly enough - for its scholarship， analysis， interpretation and clarity of expression – to those involved directly or indirectly with China （obviously） but also to anyone concerned about how the world is shaping up and who want to understand China and its place in it。
Stanley Xue
，
Perhaps it is the abusrdity of the Qing empire's response in the Opium Wars。 But the author often quotes primary sources in text as is- in which some very absurd things were communicated。 And given that these sources would've been biased by their standpoint， it was difficult to get a sense of what happened。 But still has an interesting preface/introduction/conclusion that illustrates different interpretations of the Opium Wars as a means to understand the way that the CCP wants the Chinese peopl Perhaps it is the abusrdity of the Qing empire's response in the Opium Wars。 But the author often quotes primary sources in text as is- in which some very absurd things were communicated。 And given that these sources would've been biased by their standpoint， it was difficult to get a sense of what happened。 But still has an interesting preface/introduction/conclusion that illustrates different interpretations of the Opium Wars as a means to understand the way that the CCP wants the Chinese people （who are not a monolith） to see the West， how the nationalistic Chinese citizens see the government， and how the West sees China。 。。。more
Lynn
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Excellent read。
Victor
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Eine dichte und anspruchsvolle Aufarbeitung des Themas。 Tiefgreifend und thesenstark， sowie in der rezeptionsgeschichtlich-politischen Analyse außerordentlich scharfsinnig。
David Chang
，
Extrapolating the Opium War into an exploration of Sino-Western RelationsThis is one of the best written books I have ever read dealing with Modern Chinese History。 Julia Lovell brings perspectives and a critical eye to both sides of the conflict。 Her extensive research into first hand accounts in both English and Chinese from every interested party is a refreshing modern interpretation of historical controversy。I cannot help but draw parallels between Sino-British conflict in the Opium Wars to Extrapolating the Opium War into an exploration of Sino-Western RelationsThis is one of the best written books I have ever read dealing with Modern Chinese History。 Julia Lovell brings perspectives and a critical eye to both sides of the conflict。 Her extensive research into first hand accounts in both English and Chinese from every interested party is a refreshing modern interpretation of historical controversy。I cannot help but draw parallels between Sino-British conflict in the Opium Wars to the current deteriorating Sino-American relationship which began with the trade war and as evolved into a decoupling into technology and finance as well。 The current Chinese leadership shares many of the flaws its Qing predecessors possessed during the height of the Opium Wars。 Perhaps the Chinese and American leadership ought to read this book and reevaluate the way they deal with other。The book asks us to not only consider the motives behind each group that the Opium affected and still affects， but also tells the tale of how governments and special interest groups still use this particular event in history to form part of its legitimacy and diplomatic narrative。 As an avid reader of Chinese history in both English and Chinese from Western historians， classical Chinese historians， to modern political historians， I have to say Lovell’s Opium War is one of the most thought provoking works I have read that profoundly engages fundamental differences between China and the West and how best to best bridge them so we may prevent the tragedies for the past。 。。。more
Vinothraj
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Extremely detailed western-leaning view of the Opium war， filtered down till the modern day。
James McLeod
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Fabulous in its detail and scope， and excellently researched， this book will be an eye opener to anyone unfamiliar with how awful colonialism and european expansionism was。 A slap-in-the-face tale of dominance， arrogance， abuse and intolerance which sadly still plagues much of civilisation today and which， again and again， pop up in the human story。 Sad and fascinating， but well worth it。
Steven
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Honestly？ I didn't get past the introduction。 The book opens with a preface about a 2010 embassy to China by David Cameron， the British PM。 Being November， many in the British delegation were wearing poppies on their lapels for Remembrance Day。 A Chinese official allegedly requested that the delegation remove the poppies， "on the grounds that the flowers evoked painful memories of the Opium War fought between Britain and China from 1939 to 1842" （p。 ix） Author's assessment of this？ "Someone in C Honestly？ I didn't get past the introduction。 The book opens with a preface about a 2010 embassy to China by David Cameron， the British PM。 Being November， many in the British delegation were wearing poppies on their lapels for Remembrance Day。 A Chinese official allegedly requested that the delegation remove the poppies， "on the grounds that the flowers evoked painful memories of the Opium War fought between Britain and China from 1939 to 1842" （p。 ix） Author's assessment of this？ "Someone in China's official welcoming party had， it seemed， put considerable effort into feeling offended on behalf of his or her 1。3 billion countrymen （for one thing， Remembrance Day poppies are clearly modeled on field， not opium， poppies）。" She goes on to say that Chinese internet "has been home to an oversensitive nationalism"。Well， I was offended by the author's "oversensitive nationalism"。 She totally dismisses the legitimacy of the request - but， heck， they're only Asians， right Ms。 Lovell？ The level of cultural insensitivity is stunning。 Then， in the Introduction， she proposes that the Opium War narrative is just something the Chinese Communist Party used to gin up nationalist feeling。 The paragraph that made me decide this was not the book for me:“The PRC’s state media work hard to convince readers and viewers that modern China is the story of the Chinese people’s heroic struggles against ‘imperialism and its running dogs’。 （In reality， the story of modern China could probably be told just as convincingly as a history of collusion with ‘imperialism and its running dogs’; China has about as rich a tradition of collaboration with foreigners as any as any country that has suffered regular invasion and occupation。） But self-loathing and introspection， rather than the quest for foreign scapegoats， have dominated China’s efforts to modernize。 Eyewitness Chinese accounts of the first Opium War blamed the empire’s defeat not on external aggression but on the disorganization and cowardice of its own officials and armies。”Maybe Ms。 Lovell addresses British imperialism and exploitation of a disorganized Chinese regime at some point， and maybe the rest of the book is more even handed， but the opening is so biased in favor of British （white） superiority， I'm not hanging around to find out。 Diappointed。 。。。more
Clare Paterson
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Excellent informative read full of surprises。 When we went to China we related everything to Mao。 Now I realise we should have been relating it all to the Opium Wars。 The empire was based on selling narcotics to China illegally 。。。but government sanctioned。 An extraordinary story。
Andy Lake
，
This is a well-researched view of the Opium War。 It's a positive attempt to see the conflict from both sides - including not just at the time but how the events have been viewed in history。The build-up to the first war ending in the Treaty of Nanjing is dealt with pretty exhaustively， and provides many good insights。 Many contemporary sources are quoted to help bring the story to life。The picture that is painted is one of two remote governments， one in London and one in Peking， who continuously This is a well-researched view of the Opium War。 It's a positive attempt to see the conflict from both sides - including not just at the time but how the events have been viewed in history。The build-up to the first war ending in the Treaty of Nanjing is dealt with pretty exhaustively， and provides many good insights。 Many contemporary sources are quoted to help bring the story to life。The picture that is painted is one of two remote governments， one in London and one in Peking， who continuously misunderstood what was happening on the ground， while battles were fought between two sides who both thought the other as having inferior civilisations or as barbarians。The second war， in which the French were also involved as allies， is given short treatment。 Some of other reviews criticise the author for this， but she makes it clear in the introduction that her main purpose is to look at the first war and then how that is viewed in history。 And in terms of achieving that purpose it fulfils the task。However， there are some weaknesses， I think。 1） The author is too keen to throw around judgemental words like 'rapacious'， 'mendacity' "chancer" "hypocrisy" （etc）。 The Chinese emperor is presented as clueless， and his officials as persistent liars who consistently misinformed him。 Some of this may be so， but the language at times gets a little like a 'Horrible Histories' episode。 Maybe the editors were pressing the author to be more demotic and jaunty in her writing - but it does come across as inappropriate。2） There are a lot of sources quoted， but I got the feeling that passages were selected more for their jauntiness than as necessarily being representative。 Is this a new kind of "soundbite history" that is emerging？3） The most serious reservation I have is about the lack of context and of historical interpretation。 The importance of the China trade for India and Britain's developing control of the subcontinent and its economy is hardly dealt with at all。 The development of the Treaty Ports is glossed over - to me that seems central to the whole reason Britain fought， and also why the "unequal treaties" are so resented in nationalist propaganda。 But does the characterisation in Chinese propaganda reflect the reality？ That isn't addressed。It seems the narrative about the first and second wars provides the evidence to say that this is a clash of imperialisms， but the author doesn't pursue what would be very interesting line of analysis。 The British imperialist motives are clear （though not in the way modern Chinese propaganda makes out - it was a process driven more by regional and local considerations than by national， at least for the first war。）On the Chinese side the author provides plenty of evidence of the hatred felt by the local Chinese for the foreign Manchu Qing dynasty， whose top officials and soldiers did not speak the local Cantonese language and who provoked one rebellion after another， which were very brutally put down。 There's a story in here of an equally remote empire asserting itself over its subjects， but lacking the modern means to do so effectively - apart from periodic massacres。This kind of historical debate is is left aside in favour of an extended analysis of how the post-1911 regimes used the Opium Wars （and built a mythology around them） as a focus for national unity - and the "negative integration" approach that goes with the blame-everything-on-foreigners propaganda that persists today。 That's quite interesting but the history underlying （like the depiction of the chancer Sun Yat Sen） lacks depth。So for me it's a kind of uneven book - I really enjoyed reading the first half despite some reservations。 I wanted to like it more than I actually did in the end。 。。。more
Jody Ferguson
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So many of today’s debates about U。S。-China relations focus on the acrimony that Americans and Europeans ascribe to the conflicting political systems and to the economic competition that marks relations between China and the West。 In her book The Opium Wars British academic Julia Lovell describes both the historical and the contemporary Chinese distrust of the West which is rooted in a conflict that took place in the first half of the 19th century。 Like Stephen Platt’s recent history Imperial Tw So many of today’s debates about U。S。-China relations focus on the acrimony that Americans and Europeans ascribe to the conflicting political systems and to the economic competition that marks relations between China and the West。 In her book The Opium Wars British academic Julia Lovell describes both the historical and the contemporary Chinese distrust of the West which is rooted in a conflict that took place in the first half of the 19th century。 Like Stephen Platt’s recent history Imperial Twilight Lovell describes how in 1839 Great Britain， frustrated by its inability for decades to negotiate a favorable trading agreement with the Qing Empire， took the occasion of 20，000 destroyed chests of Bengal opium to wage war on a dynasty that was already tottering due to internal corruption， civil wars， and natural disasters。 The war lasted until 1842， only because communications between the British Far Eastern fleet and London took two months each way （in the days before the Suez Canal and the telegraph）。 The British made short work of the Chinese， due in large part to the presence of the world’s first armored steamship， HMS Nemesis。 Over the course of two years， the British fleet shelled numerous coastal forts along the eastern Chinese seaboard， after which British troops took possession of several key cities， including Canton， Ningbo， and Shanghai。 The Nanking Treaty of 1842 gave Britain possession of Hong Kong and trade access to several Chinese ports。 Most importantly （and dastardly in Chinese eyes）， Britain was allowed to continue trading opium and British subjects were given extraterritoriality， which they managed to retain throughout China until the Second World War。The role played by the opium trade was key。 Without opium brought in from the British East India Company’s colonial territory in Bengal， Britain would have been unable to sustain the trade deficit it had amassed over decades whilst trading silver specie for Chinese tea to satisfy British consumers。 Enterprising （or devious， depending on your point of view） traders， such as William Jardine and James Matheson， introduced opium and before long it was the British who were trading at a surplus while the Qing Dynasty was not only running a massive trade deficit， but its population was becoming addicted to this narcotic。Lovell does a fine job describing the outbreak of war and Britain’s brutal prosecution of it。 She also goes on to describe the origins of the Second Opium War （1856-60）， which France was only so glad to join in with their new British ally from the Crimean War。 The second conflict gave European powers （and the United States） expanded trade rights。 At the conclusion， British and French troops took the liberty of sacking the Imperial Summer Palace northwest of Peking and looting priceless treasures （many of which still are on display in Western museums）。 Where Lovell’s work falls short is the description of the main characters involved in this history。 I feel that Platt did a better job of filling in the reader， and his descriptions of the negotiations and the primary and secondary participants are colorful。The final third of Lovell’s book covers the book’s subtitle: Drugs， Dream， and the Making of Modern China。 She explains how this particular conflict， often overshadowed by other Western injustices inflicted by the West and Japan in the latter part of the 19th century—such as the Boxer Rebellion， became the primary victim narrative for China in later years。 After China threw off the Qing Dynasty yolk in 1911 （the Qing were Manchus—also foreigners in many Chinese eyes）， the young country needed themes to bring together an anarchic， still backward nation。 Lovell writes， “Through the 1920s…the historiography of the Opium War acquired a fresh sense of resentment。” Sun Yat-sen， Chiang Kai-shek and other Chinese revolutionary leaders justifiably pointed to the West to ascribe many of China’s contemporary ills。 But they also were careful to blame the Qing Dynasty and other feckless Chinese leaders （remember， they had to rely on Western financial support in many cases）。 After Mao and the Communists took power in 1949， the Opium War gained an even larger status as the original and primary evil inflicted upon the Chinese at the beginning of their ‘century of humiliation。’ Lovell explains， “The Opium War was no longer the turning point in modern Chinese history; it was its inaugural event: ‘the first lesson’ of the Chinese revolution。” In the face of international opprobrium after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989， PRC leaders were quick to vilify the West， beginning with the attempt to subdue China through opium addiction in the 19th century。 Although the point is not altogether wrong， the Chinese leadership would hear nothing of the horrific policies inflicted by the Chinese Communist Party on their own people， such as the ‘Great Leap Forward’ during the late 1950s， and the ‘Cultural Revolution’ of the 1970s。 As for the reawakened enmity toward the West （and Britain in particular） in the 1990s， the Opium War was the perfect narrative。 “The point of remembering past bitterness was to remind the populace to savour the sweetness of the Communist present。” 。。。more
Wan Peter
，
The Opium War is a pretty shameful story。 Perhaps it slipped your memory？ It certainly hasn't slipped {China} and its still unravelling。 Guardian， 2010 The Opium War is a pretty shameful story。 Perhaps it slipped your memory？ It certainly hasn't slipped {China} and its still unravelling。 Guardian， 2010 。。。more
Herrholz Paul
，
Reading the first half of this book I was at times disappointed at the way the author seems to make fun of the inept response of the native Chinese to their superior opponents in this conflict。 The book seems however to be well researched。 In the conclusion the author recalls some conversations with contemporary Chinese， and they too are scornful of their response as seen through the historical lens。 There is a sense of a progressiveness now in China。 The people want to make the most of any oppo Reading the first half of this book I was at times disappointed at the way the author seems to make fun of the inept response of the native Chinese to their superior opponents in this conflict。 The book seems however to be well researched。 In the conclusion the author recalls some conversations with contemporary Chinese， and they too are scornful of their response as seen through the historical lens。 There is a sense of a progressiveness now in China。 The people want to make the most of any opportunity to improve their lives， and dwelling on historical humiliation would not appear to be widespread。 An interesting read。 Recommended。 。。。more
Pranay
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It's a long and laborious read。 But it forces you to question your assumptions of what you know about China， British， opium war， the world politics。 It shows you how narratives change by individual acts and how easy it is to go from mistrust， to xenophobia to genocide。Lastly it gives you an insight into Chinese world view and the actions by Chinese government。 It's a long and laborious read。 But it forces you to question your assumptions of what you know about China， British， opium war， the world politics。 It shows you how narratives change by individual acts and how easy it is to go from mistrust， to xenophobia to genocide。Lastly it gives you an insight into Chinese world view and the actions by Chinese government。 。。。more
Julie
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Very thorough description of the development and executiion of two opium wars waged between Great Britain and China。 Experts and scholars will relish the details of the equal pride and unequal technology ofthe two countries that existed in the 1700s。 Lay persons will like the overview begining chapters， skimming over the details， and soaking in the synthesis chapters at the end。 Many insights on how the Opium War has shaped both East and West are shared in these ending chapters。
KNCHNGL
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Wanted to better understand the background behind the ongoing protests in Hong Kong。 This book does NOT answer those questions， but it does do a great job of priming for the upcoming conflict between the West （or just Western media） vs China （not the Hong Kong people） conflict that has long been seeking a reason for open confrontation。。。The conclusion is excellent， to date one of the most fair observations I have read by a Western author giving both sides of the China vs West struggle equal just Wanted to better understand the background behind the ongoing protests in Hong Kong。 This book does NOT answer those questions， but it does do a great job of priming for the upcoming conflict between the West （or just Western media） vs China （not the Hong Kong people） conflict that has long been seeking a reason for open confrontation。。。The conclusion is excellent， to date one of the most fair observations I have read by a Western author giving both sides of the China vs West struggle equal justice， which very much mirrors my own experiences in Beijing during 2011-2013。 Do not read this like a novel - a novel it is not。 Jump around the chapters， read the intro and the conclusion， to really understand the brilliance of this book。 Conversely， it will also provide an understanding for the biased views of both the West and China， which is a function of politicking， more than anything else。 。。。more
Shane Parrish
，
This book describes the mid-19th century conflict between Great Britain and China and the reverberations that remain to this day。 From the official summary: "Beginning with the dramas of the war itself， Julia Lovell explores its causes and consequences and， through this larger narrative， interweaves the curious stories of opium’s promoters and attackers。 The Opium War is both the story of China’s first conflict with the West and an analysis of the country’s contemporary self-image。 It explores h This book describes the mid-19th century conflict between Great Britain and China and the reverberations that remain to this day。 From the official summary: "Beginning with the dramas of the war itself， Julia Lovell explores its causes and consequences and， through this larger narrative， interweaves the curious stories of opium’s promoters and attackers。 The Opium War is both the story of China’s first conflict with the West and an analysis of the country’s contemporary self-image。 It explores how China’s national myths mold its interactions with the outside world， how public memory is spun to serve the present; and how delusion and prejudice have bedeviled its relationship with the modern West。"The history of this conflict is a clear example of how we often use history to justify our present ideas， and how an event can be imbued with different meanings。 If you want to gain a different perspective on our current geo-political reality， Lovell's book on this obscure conflict certainly provides one。 。。。more
An Te
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An extremely detailed detail account of events leading up to and during the Opium wars。 A must-read for anyone concerned about the history of Sino-European relationships。 Fascinating。
Chris
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Explains a lot about how and why China is acting in the way it is now。 Not much glory in English imperialism and Christian missionaries。 But demonstrates that China is not as homogeneous as we tend to believe。 Entertaining and revealing historical treatise。
Shawn Ritchie
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The modal American knows fuck-all about The Opium Wars。 Maybe one in a hundred could tell you they involved China， maybe？ One in a thousand could possibly identify the other participant， Great Britain。 The number who could go into any amount of detail on the war beyond the phrase "treaty ports" would surely not tax the capacity of a minor-minor league ballpark in one of those flyover states whose borders were drawn by a government bureaucrat having only a ruler and a time limit。Point being， a bo The modal American knows fuck-all about The Opium Wars。 Maybe one in a hundred could tell you they involved China， maybe？ One in a thousand could possibly identify the other participant， Great Britain。 The number who could go into any amount of detail on the war beyond the phrase "treaty ports" would surely not tax the capacity of a minor-minor league ballpark in one of those flyover states whose borders were drawn by a government bureaucrat having only a ruler and a time limit。Point being， a book like this， in English， is a massive undertaking。 The author basically cannot assume any level of background knowledge on behalf of her reader; you have to cover EVERYTHING。 Which probably leads to my one， quite thin， complaint with the book; I'd love to have seen it cover the Second Opium War in as much detail as the first， which is the actual topic of this book。 It's a thin complaint because a） the book quite specifically states that it is primarily about the first war and b） it still manages to cover the second in decent detail anyways。But I get ahead of myself。。。 The Opium War is a magnum opus， the finest history of the event available in English。 It is more than just a history of the rather brief conflict that ran from 1839-1842 between a Britain that was essentially bullied into the conflict by her own merchant class and a Chinese Empire so vast， so decadent， and so dismissive of foreigners in every possible way that its court was， for most of the conflict， not even aware that it was at war。The conflict itself is covered extremely well and in great detail。 More importantly， though， is the back third of the book， which covers how the various Chinese governments since the war have viewed the war and presented it to their governed populace。 If the phrase "Century of Humiliation" means nothing to you， this book might be a good place to start， and it's something you should want to understand because undoing it undergirds the entirety of the Chinese government's foreign policy。The bad reviews I've seen of this book tend to come from， well， Chinese nationalists。。。 they dislike some of the lightness with which Lovell occasionally treats the topic， but let's be honest: some of the happenings in these events WERE comically absurd， period。 She doesn't stint on mentioning the awful， hypocritical nature of British rapaciousness in their conduct of the war， nor does she try to short-sell the deaths that resulted on the Chinese side。 I feel it's a balanced look at the causes and blame all around。For a pretty obscure （in the West） topic， I think that this is a great book to pick up if you're at all interested in rendering it not obscure for yourself， personally。 A fascinating read on a frankly fascinating event。 。。。more
Dmitri
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This is a very readable account of the First and Second Opium Wars。 The author， a lecturer at the University of London， offers a blend of scholarly research and entertaining storytelling。 Accomplishing both within the same covers is an unusual achievement。 Lovell has a witty way of writing， without becoming glib or unsympathetic towards the often tragic circumstances described。 If the reader is seeking a moral allegory embedded in past events， it may well be found in the folly of men。One of the This is a very readable account of the First and Second Opium Wars。 The author， a lecturer at the University of London， offers a blend of scholarly research and entertaining storytelling。 Accomplishing both within the same covers is an unusual achievement。 Lovell has a witty way of writing， without becoming glib or unsympathetic towards the often tragic circumstances described。 If the reader is seeking a moral allegory embedded in past events， it may well be found in the folly of men。One of the strong points of this work is that it includes both Opium Wars， instead of ending at the Treaty of Nanjing。 Although known foremost as a cultural historian， Lovell offers a good overview of the military events without getting bogged down in minutiae。 A description of the major battles may seem prerequisite， yet many books focus only on political and diplomatic aspects of the conflicts。 These are covered as well， but are augmented with substantial discussion of the armed action。Another strength is in its balanced critique of each side of the conflict。 This may come from the author's command of both primary source languages， an affinity for China and her native Britain。 It is not， as some have asserted， a merely anglocentric view of the period。 The British were brutal and Chinese resistance proved futile， but there is much more here than these shopworn sermons betray。 Beyond a fair assessment of the causes and results of the war， this is an enjoyable history。The only criticism I have could also be seen as a virtue。 There is a significant focus on the political permutations of Opium War historiography in an extended conclusion。 This interesting aspect of the conflicts shows how propaganda was used by China and the West during the 20th century。 It is important subject matter in its own right， but it somehow feels like a different book than the preceding historical narrative。 Perhaps it would have worked better as an appendix。 。。。more
Simon Garnett
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Frightening。
Al
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Detailed， well-judged and interested not just in the past but how the past has been used， re-used， revised and re-used again， this book is about a period of Anglo-Chinese history which casts shadows， and shade， today。 There is an irony in some passages and a sense of alarm and horror in others。 The author’s voice is perceptive and sympathetic while still resting the ability to forensically judge。The reason I have given this 5-stars is that I think this goes beyond historical analysis， and even b Detailed， well-judged and interested not just in the past but how the past has been used， re-used， revised and re-used again， this book is about a period of Anglo-Chinese history which casts shadows， and shade， today。 There is an irony in some passages and a sense of alarm and horror in others。 The author’s voice is perceptive and sympathetic while still resting the ability to forensically judge。The reason I have given this 5-stars is that I think this goes beyond historical analysis， and even beyond examining how the world today is still being shaped by our understanding of the past; this also speaks to the general use and abuse of history， and the general way we see all current events through our paradigms of the past。 。。。more
Jenni Link
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Drawing on both British and Chinese sources， Lovell pieces together the events of the Opium War （she focuses almost entirely on the first one） in an attempt to reconcile both sides' justifications and mythologizing into a fair account of what really happened。 By relating the history to current historiography in both countries， she explains how the Opium War（s） became foundational to post-WWII Chinese regimes' narrative of China as perpetual victim of the West， a narrative that discounts the deep Drawing on both British and Chinese sources， Lovell pieces together the events of the Opium War （she focuses almost entirely on the first one） in an attempt to reconcile both sides' justifications and mythologizing into a fair account of what really happened。 By relating the history to current historiography in both countries， she explains how the Opium War（s） became foundational to post-WWII Chinese regimes' narrative of China as perpetual victim of the West， a narrative that discounts the deep ethnic， cultural， and class divisions， bureaucratic dysfunction， and widespread corruption that weakened the Chinese empire from within。 Certainly not an apology for Western exploitation and brutality， either， this is an inquiry rather than an attempt to assign blame。 It was not a page-turner， but a good overview of the topic for someone like me who knew very little about it going in。 。。。more
Allen Perry
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A great and concise history of the Opium Wars。 The last chapter drags and jumps around a bit but other them that it is well written。
Colin
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