The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of Modern China

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 both sides of the conflict. This may come from the author's command of both primary source languages, and an affinity for both China and her native Britain. It is not, as some have asserted, a merely anglocentric view of the period. Yes, the British were brutal and Chinese resistance proved futile, but there is 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. These interesting consequences of the conflicts show 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.

I have a keen interest in the subject, and had hoped to find in this book a scholarly historical account on the subject. I am afraid I have been disappointed.Overall, the author’s account focuses on problems within China (though there must have been many), with much less attention to problemson the British side, eg the push for, and control of, opium production in India.The author’s attempt to bring the subject of the opium war up to date in the context of modern China is stretched, and reflects a superficial understanding of recent Chinese history.For a reader who is interested in the subject, there are better books on the market.

As a China specialist, I am reasonably familiar with the Opium War and have read several books covering it. Lovell's book is by far the most comprehensive I have encountered, in that it includes much material from Chinese archives. All the other accounts I have seen are written strictly from the Western perspective; Lovell makes a considerable contribution in offering insights on how the Chinese viewed (and view) the conflict.Lovell hits all the major points surrounding the embroglio -- Lord Napier's mission, the gunner of the Lady Hughes, Britain's trade imbalance with China, the hong and the hoppo, China's bimetallic currency standard, the Canton factories, and much more. Importantly, the author brings the War into the present, demonstrating convincingly how its impact shaped and shapes the contemporary Chinese views of the West (and Japan). She further elucidates how the Communist Party utilizes this narrative to support its own position, and strengthen nationalism in the country.Stylistically the book is well written and engrossing. I suspect readers less familiar with the general background may be a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of issues and campaign, and particularly by the myriad of Chinese actors involved in the story. The many Chinese names that appear in the book could become rather confusing. The author thankfully offers a short summary of the major players at the end of the book.My only significant criticism is Lovell's lack of focus on the foreign powers demands for extraterritoriality (whereby foreigners committing crimes in China are tried not by Chinese courts, but by authorities of their own nationality). This was an extremely pernicious practice, one still widely resented in China today.All in all, a first rate effort, and a worthy read.

The first half of this book goes through an in depth step by step analysis of the characters and their motives behind the first opium war, showcasing and discussing journals, official communications, along with other historical evidence left behind by the main players. This portion of the book alone is worth its weight in gold.The second half of the book goes on to discuss the second opium war, as well as the continued evolution of Sino-Western relations following the first opium war through the present. Equally full of sharp insights and rigorous use of original documentation, Lovell finishes in a strong way.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in China, especially with regard to the modern Patriotic Education movement and the history of Sino-Western relations.

I found the book interesting in that it considered something that other books about the period does not. This was that the Qing Empire was an empire under increasing stress. It also showed how nations can create their own myths based on their idea of their own culture.What was very interesting is the fact that the arguments used to open China to Opium can now be used for opening the west to Heroin and other drugs.I found that some of the results considered by the author of the war and the subsequent history of the West and China overly simplified but were valid within the context they were used.Finally I would say that I enjoyed the scope and the argument produced in this book.