Exploring the British Empire's use of opium for health and control in Asia. Delving into the Opium trade crisis in China. Uncovering the complexities of the Opium Wars and their lasting impact on China's relationship with the west.
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Victorian Britain’s Legal Opium Use
Opium was widely used legally in Victorian Britain for pain, relaxation, and even baby sleep aids.
It was more a common medicine than the deadly den addiction depicted in popular literature.
insights INSIGHT
Opium Trade’s Imperial Impact
The British Empire used opium trade from India to create economic and colonial dominance in Asia.
This trade devastated China and led to wars that shape China-West relations today.
insights INSIGHT
Opium’s Ancient Origins
Opium, derived from the poppy native to the Eastern Mediterranean, was traded and used medicinally for over 5,000 years.
It reached China via ancient Silk Roads and was recognized medically as a powerful pain reliever and calming agent.
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1/2. Victorian readers were captivated by descriptions of smoke-filled opium dens among backstreet brothels and pubs in London's East End in Oscar Wilde novels. Opium use in Britain in the 19th century was widespread and while opium dens were scarce, Victorians could buy opium over the counter in chemists as treatments for headaches, coughs and even as a sleep aid for babies. Opium was important to the British Empire's health but more so to its imperial aims to control Asia from the Indian subcontinent to the eastern markets in China.
In the first episode of a two-part mini-series Dan and Dr Jeremiah Jenne, a professor of Late Imperial and Modern China, delve into the history of the Opium trade in the British Empire, how it brought crisis to China and started a war that still impacts China's relationship with the west today.
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore
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