Why read The Social Life of Opium in China?

Book cover of The Social Life of Opium in China

Book description

In a remarkable and broad-ranging narrative, Yangwen Zheng's book explores the history of opium consumption in China from 1483 to the late twentieth century. The story begins in the mid-Ming dynasty, when opium was sent as a gift by vassal states and used as an aphrodisiac in court. Over time,…

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Asian history

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Social Life of Opium in China as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Erika Rappaport

Author

We know a lot about how the Chinese state sought to ban, limit, and exclude opium from its borders, but this book uniquely delves into the multifaceted way that the demand for the drug emerged in the first place and then spread down the social scale to become a mass commodity. I especially loved the detailed way in which the author showed how consumers produced a variety of meanings surrounding opium and incorporated it into both elite and popular culture. Writing against so many myths, Yangwen shows us that for much of its history, opium was celebrated not demonized.

From Erika's list on The best books to understand tea and other Chinese things.