This work tells the story of the war between England and China that delivered Hong Kong to the English, forced the imperial Chinese government to add four ports to Canton as places in which foreigners could live and trade, and rendered irreversible the process that for almost a century thereafter distinguished Western relations with this quarter of the globe - the process that is loosely termed the ""opening of China"". Originally published by UNC Press in 1975, Peter Ward Fay's study was the first to treat extensively the opium trade from the point of production in India to point of consumption in China and the first to give both Protestant and Catholic missionaries their due; it remains the most comprehensive account of the first Opium War through western eyes. In a new preface, Fay reflects on the relationship between the events described in the book and Hong Kong's more recent history.

Winner of the 1975 AHA Pacific Coast Branch Annual Award and winner of a 1975 Silver Medal, Commonwealth Club of California

About the Author
Peter Ward Fay is professor emeritus of history at the California Institute of Technology.


Book Information
ISBN 9780807847145
Author Peter Ward Fay
Format Paperback
Page Count 440
Imprint The University of North Carolina Press
Publisher The University of North Carolina Press
Weight(grams) 606g