Abstract
The case of Sir John Francis Davis's troubled involvement with the British opium trade to China is a vexed one. This essay is an attempt to outline and hopefully disentangle some of the contradictions both personal but also governmental that surrounded the much-disputed trade in this most ambiguous commodity, both medicine and poison, taking as a case study Sir John Francis Davis, sinologist and diplomat. It discusses Davis' changing views on the trade from his days as an East India Company employee at Canton (Guangzhou) to his term as the second governor of the new Treaty Port of Hong Kong and beyond.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Tribute and Trade: China and Global Modernity, 1784-1935. |
| Editors | William Christie, QS Tong |
| Place of Publication | Sydney |
| Publisher | Sydney University Press |
| Chapter | 7 |
| Pages | 185-206 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781743326008 |
| Publication status | Published - 30 May 2020 |
Keywords
- Opium
- Opium Trade
- First Opium War
- China
Profiles
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Peter Kitson
- School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing - Emeritus Professor
- Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Research Group - Member
Person: Honorary, Research Group Member