A Chinese water pipe, likely for the smoking of opium, early 1800s. By the time when this was made,
A Chinese water pipe, likely for the smoking of opium, early 1800s. By the time when this was made, opium use had become quite popular in China. this was partially because British merchants – who greatly desired Chinese goods to sell back in Europe – were having trouble finding anything that would sell in the Chinese market. They realized that opium, which grows quite well in what’s now northern India and Afghanistan (which were under at least some British control or influence at the time) might sell in the Chinese market. So British merchants imported large quantities of opium into China, which led to social problems in China and eventual war between England and China.{WHF} {HTE} {Medium} -- source link
#history#china#opium#drugs