The Social Life of Opium in China

257 Pages·2005·9.74 MB·English

by  Zheng Yangwen

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THE SOCIAL LIFE OF
OPIUM IN CHINA
Inaremarkableandbroad-rangingnarrative,ZhengYangwen’sbook
explores the history of opium consumption in China from 1483 to
thelatetwentiethcentury.Thestorybeginsinthemid-Mingdynasty,
whenopiumwassentasagiftbyvassalstatesandusedasanaphro-
disiacincourt.Overtime,theChinesepeoplefromdifferentclasses
andregionsbegantouseitforrecreationalpurposes,sobeginninga
complexcultureofopiumconsumption.Thebooktracesthistrans-
formationoveraperiodoffivehundredyears,askingwhointroduced
opiumtoChina,andhowitspreadthroughoutallsectionsofsociety,
embracedbyrichandpooralikeasacultureandaninstitution.Itis
accompaniedbyafascinatingcollectionofillustrations,andoffersa
vividandalternativeperspectiveonlifeinChinaduringthisperiod,
which will appeal to students and scholars of history, anthropology,
sociology,politicalscience,economics,EastAsianstudies,andtoall
thosewithaninterestinChina.
zheng yangwenisaResearchFellowattheAsiaResearchInstitute
oftheNationalUniversityofSingapore.ShereceivedherPh.D.from
theUniversityofCambridgein2001.

THE SOCIAL LIFE OF
OPIUM IN CHINA
ZHENG YANGWEN
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521846080
© Zheng, Yangwen 2005
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublishedinprintformat 2005
isbn-13 978-0-511-12531-7 eBook(EBL)
isbn-10 0-511-12531-3 eBook(EBL)
isbn-13 978-0-521-84608-0 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-84608-0 hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-60856-5 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-60856-2 paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
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Dedicatedto
CarolandArthurTaylor
I think it could plausibly be argued that changes of diet are more
importantthanchangesofdynastyorevenofreligion.
GeorgeOrwell,1937
TheRoadtoWiganPier
Contents
Listofillustrations pageviii
Listofmaps x
Listoftables xi
Acknowledgements xii
Introduction 1
1 ‘Theartofalchemists,sexandcourtladies’ 10
2 Astheempirechangedhands 25
3 ‘Theageofcalicoesandteaandopium’ 41
4 ‘Ahobbyamongthehighandthelowinofficialdom’ 56
5 Taste-makingandtrendsetting 71
6 Thepoliticalredefinitionofopiumconsumption 87
7 Outwardanddownward‘liquidation’ 101
8 ‘Thevolumeofsmokeandpowder’ 116
9 ‘Theunofficialhistoryofthepoppy’ 131
10 Opiateofthepeople 146
11 TheroadtoStLouis 164
12 ‘Shanghaivice’ 186
Conclusion 203
Notes 208
Glossary 223
Bibliography 225
Index 237
vii
Illustrations
1. ManchuladiesoftheQingpalace,lateQing(Libraryof
Congress,Washington,dc,PrintsandPhotographs,
LC-USZ62-113720) page34
2. Manchuwomansmokingopium,lateQing(Libraryof
Congress,Washington,dc,PrintsandPhotographs,
LC-USZ62-25834) 118
3. Twomenrelaxingwithawomanandopium,lateQing(Hong
KongMuseumofHistory,P70.170) 121
4. ‘Anapprenticelookingforfun’,lateQing(Dianshizhai,ed.,
DianshizhaiHuabao,58vols.,Shanghai:Dianshizhai,1884,
vol.i,pp.15B–16A) 143
5. ‘Measuringthevolumeofswallowing’,lateQing(Dianshizhai,
ed.,DianshizhaHiuabao,58vols.,Shanghai:Dianshizhai,
1884,vol.xii,pp.51B–52A) 144
6. QingworkingmensmokingopiuminadeninMalintaStreet,
Manila,Philippines(LibraryofCongress,Washington,dc,
PrintsandPhotographs,LC-USZ62-103376) 148
7. Opiumbowls,privatecollection:courtesyofWolfK(Peter
Lee,TheBigSmoke:TheChineseArtandCraftofOpium,
Thailand:LamplightBooks,1999,p.213) 167
8. ‘Breakfastinbed’andpipesonagunrack,privatecollection:
courtesyofPeterLee(PeterLee,TheBigSmoke:TheChinese
ArtandCraftofOpium,Thailand:LamplightBooks,1999,
p.220) 168
9. Twogemstone-adornedpipesaddlesofwroughtsilver,private
collection:courtesyofWolfK(PeterLee,TheBigSmoke:The
ChineseArtandCraftofOpium,Thailand:LamplightBooks,
1999,p.221) 169
10. Threesophisticatedopiumlamps,privatecollection:courtesy
ofPeterLeeandWolfK(PeterLee,TheBigSmoke:The
viii