num_pages: 576
description: Many have accepted that the Arrow War (1856-60) was caused by an insult to the British flag belonging to the pirate boat Arrow. Dr. Wong argues that Britain's reliance on the opium trade with China played a far greater role in pushing the diplomatic conflict into war. The war was not a simple diplomatic squabble: it involved vital economic interests in British India, which had to be protected at all costs. Dr. Wong offers penetrating insights into theories of imperialism and how they might be reassessed.
language: English
title: Deadly Dreams: Opium and the Arrow War (1856-1860) in China
titlecomplete: Deadly Dreams: Opium and the Arrow War (1856-1860) in China (Cambridge Studies in Chinese History, Literature and Institutions)
genres: British Literature, History, China
ratings_count: 9
series: Cambridge Studies in Chinese History, Literature and Institutions
publisher: Cambridge University Press