{"product_id":"the-opium-war-drugs-dreams-and-the-making-of-modern-china-9781468311730","title":"The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A crisp and readable account... A heartbreaking story of a war.\"\u003ci\u003e (Washington Post)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Opium War \u003c\/i\u003eis both the story of China's first conflict with the West and an analysis of the country's contemporary self-image. It explores how China's national myths mold its interactions with the outside world, how public memory is spun to serve the present; and how delusion and prejudice have bedeviled its relationship with the modern West. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The conflict turned out to be rich in tragicomedy: in bureaucratic fumblings, military missteps, political opportunism and collaboration. Yet over the past 170 years, this strange tale of misunderstanding, incompetence and compromise has become the founding myth of modern Chinese nationalism: the start of China's heroic struggle against a Western conspiracy to destroy the country with opium and gunboat diplomacy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Beginning with the dramas of the war itself, Julia Lovell explores its causes and consequences and, through this larger narrative, interweaves the curious stories of opium's promoters and attackers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Shortlisted for the Guggenheim-Lehrman Military History Prize, \u003ci\u003eThe Opium War \u003c\/i\u003eis by Julia Lovel, professor of Modern Chinese History and Literature at Birkbeck, University of London, where her research has been focused principally on the relationship between culture (specifically, literature, architecture, historiography and sport) and modern Chinese nation-building.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Julia Lovell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harry N. Abrams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/10\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 512\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.49lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.98h x 5.98w x 1.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781468311730\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e Cundill Prize - Finalist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLovell, Julia:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Julia Lovell is an author, translator, and academic. She is the author of the widely acclaimed The Great Wall: China Against the World 1000 BC-AD 2000, which was published in eighteen countries. She has translated many key Chinese works into English, including Lust, Caution by Eileen Chang, The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun, and Serve the People by Yan Lianke. She is a lecturer in modern Chinese history and literature at the University of London and writes for the Guardian, The Times, the Economist, and the Times Literary Supplement. She spends a large part of the year in China with her family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Julia Lovell \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48867651354781,"sku":"9781468311730","price":28.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_9b2f5692-fb3e-4f8b-9eed-11d1ea53dc47.jpg?v=1788336897","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-opium-war-drugs-dreams-and-the-making-of-modern-china-9781468311730","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}