Drugging a Nation: The Story of China and the Opium Curse

Merwin, Samuel, 1874-1936Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 245K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Drugging a Nation: The Story of China and the Opium Curse by Samuel MerwinAuthor: Merwin, Samuel, 1874-1936,Language: English, Class: HV: Social sciences: Social pathology, Social and Public Welfare, Release Date: Aug 30, 2010

Editor's review

Drugging a Nation: The Story of China and the Opium Curse is a work of reportage written by Samuel Merwin in the early twentieth century, focusing on the profound harm inflicted on Chinese society by the opium trade and opium smoking. Through journalistic observation and narrative, the author shows how opium entered ordinary people's lives, eroded families and local communities, and affected the fate of the nation. The title "Drugging a Nation" is itself a sharp judgment, and the book's material carries a distinct period stance and the perspective of an outside observer. Its value lies in offering a picture of the modern Chinese opium problem as seen by a foreign recorder, which can be read alongside Chinese sources on modern history; at the same time, it reminds readers to watch for the author's possible biases, simplifications, and Western-centered perspective. As a public-domain ebook, it is suitable as supplementary reading for modern history, social history, and journalistic writing, but should not be treated as the sole historical source.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Enthusiasts of modern Chinese history and social history who want to understand how outside observers recorded the opium problem
Students of journalism or nonfiction writing, who may study its documentary narrative techniques
Modern history students in need of supplementary English historical sources, for use as comparative material
General readers interested in the social conditions around the time of the Opium Wars

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers seeking rigorous scholarly examination and complete historical sources
Readers prone to taking an outside observer's account as objective fact
Readers who read only Chinese materials and are not used to English originals

Reading tips

First learn about the author's identity and the period in which he wrote, then read the text, always distinguishing factual record from the author's judgments.
Read it alongside Chinese works or sources on modern history, noting places where the book differs from Chinese accounts.
Take reading notes by theme, such as the opium trade, the circumstances of smokers, and social impact, for easier organization.
When encountering general assertions, ask about the source of the evidence, training a habit of critical reading.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the historical value of this book?

It is a work of reportage by an outside observer on China's opium problem in the early twentieth century, reflecting the concerns and narrative style of Western public opinion at the time, and it has value as a historical reference. But it is not rigorous scholarly research; when using it, one should compare it with Chinese archives, local histories, and scholarly works, and it should not be relied on alone as a basis for historical fact.

Is the book's stance objective?

The author writes in a journalistic style, with clear moral criticism and period prejudices, and the descriptions of Chinese society may contain simplifications and a Western-centered perspective. Readers should maintain a critical awareness, separate the book's judgments from concrete facts, and combine multiple sources to form their own understanding.

Is it suitable as an introductory reading on modern history?

It can serve as supplementary reading, but is not recommended as the only introductory material. It is strongly narrative and not long, and can help readers feel the social consequences of the opium problem, but it lacks a systematic scholarly framework; it is best to read a general Chinese work on modern history before this book.

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About the author

Merwin, Samuel, 1874-1936 Author

Samuel Merwin (1874–1936) was an American writer whose life and education are sparsely documented in publicly available sources. Twelve of his works are held in the collection, and their subjects are notably varied: there is the episodic coming-of-age series about Henry Calverly, Henry Is Twenty; there are stories of small-town life and human entanglement such as His Little World and The Whip Hand; and there is the historical adventure novel The Road to Frontenac. He also engaged with social issues, most notably in Drugging a Nation, a book on China and the opium problem that reflects his concern with real-world affairs. On the whole, Merwin's writing combines popular storytelling with social observation; his plain style and his skill at developing plot through his characters' experiences earned him a place in early twentieth-century American popular literature.