Chinese became addicted to opium in the 19th century. Explain... 5 marks
Answers
• The Confucian rulers of China, the Manchus were not willing to allow the entry of foreign goods. → English could buy tea only by paying in silver coins or bullion which meant an outflow of treasure from England.
• The English traders wanted a community which could be easily sold in China so that the import of tea could be financed in a profitable way.
• Western merchants began an illegal trade in opium in the mid-eighteenth century.
Where did Opium come from?
• When the British conquered Bengal, they made a ffort to produce opium in the lands under their control.
• With the growth of market for opium in China, export from Bengal ports increased.
• The Indian farmers were not willing to produce opium because:
→ They were not willing to divert their best fields for opium cultivation because it would have resulted in poor production cereals and pulses.
→ Many cultivators did not own land. For opium cultivation, they had to lease land from landlords and pay rent.
→ The cultivation of opium was a difficult process and time consuming.
→ The government paid very low price for the opium which made it an unprofitable proposition.
Historical accounts suggest that opium first arrived in China during the Tang dynasty (618–907) as part of the merchandise of Arab traders.[11] Later on, Song Dynasty (960–1279) poet and pharmacologist Su Dongpo recorded the use of opium as a medicinal herb: "Daoists often persuade you to drink the jisu water, but even a child can prepare the yingsu[A] soup."[12]
Initially used by medical practitioners to control bodily fluid and preserve qi or vital force, during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the drug also functioned as an aphrodisiac or chunyao (春药) as Xu Boling records in his mid-fifteenth century Yingjing Juan:
It is mainly used to treat masculinity, strengthen sperm, and regain vigour. It enhances the art of alchemists, sex and court ladies. Frequent use helps to cure the chronic diarrhea that causes the loss of energy ... Its price equals that of gold.[12]
Ming rulers obtained opium via the tributary system, when it was known as wuxiang (烏香) or "black spice". The Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty record gifts to successive Ming emperors of up to 100 kilograms (220 lb) of wuxiang amongst tribute from the Kingdom of Siam, which also included frankincense, costus root, pepper, ivory, rhino horn and peacock feathers.
First listed as a taxable commodity in 1589, opium remained legal until the end of Ming dynasty, 1637.