Xiaoxiong Li, professor of Asian history

Growing up in Sichuan, Li had heard stories about opium and its usage in the province before 1950. “I was fascinated by these stories and wished someday I could share these stories with others,” he says. “In this book I explain how opium and its related business developed in Sichuan in the late nineteenth century, why it reached its height in the first 30 years of the twentieth century, and how it declined and eventually ended in the early 1950s. The rise and fall of opium production and its consumption in Sichuan reflected the changing political realty, economic conditions, and social circumstances during that period of time. I hope this book will help readers better understand an important part of history in modern China.”

Tags:  Poppies and Politics in China Xiaoxiong Li