the TRADE with CHINA that CHANGED HISTORY Pembroke, Michael 1955- creator author. text vra 2025 2025 monographic eng xxv, 341 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), maps ; 24 cm Silk Silver Opium not only tells the fascinating stories of silk and tea, porcelain, silver and opium, missionaries, mercenaries and trade, but also what became inevitable - war and humiliation. Much about China's modern relationship with the West is the product of its past inter-reactions, conflicts, victories and humiliations. The South China Sea was the place from where the ultimately destructive European sailing ships arrived. The Ryukyu Island chain was the place from where marauding Japanese pirates preyed mercilessly on China's east coast ports. Taiwan was where anti-Qing rebels established a stronghold in the seventeenth century. The story of imperial China's trading relationship with the West is a powerful tale, with clear implications for the future. general Michael Pembroke. Includes bibliographical references and index. Opium Opium trade China History China Foreign relations China History China Economic relations Western Countries China Politics and government 382.0951 9781761451980 PPAK 260304 20260304123126.0 eng