A Study Of The Opium Triangular Trade Among China, India And South-eastern Asia (1602-1917)

Indian opium was sold abroad by Arab merchants since 10th-11th century AD. After the Great Geographical Discoveries in 1500, which means the beginnings of modern world history, western powers began to colonize many overseas parts. Taking advantage of original trade network, Portuguese who came to Asia firstly established the Big Business Sail trade and opium trade become prosperous correspondingly. Dutch came here in 17th century. During more than one hundred years after this, Dutch firmly linked up the production of Indian opium and the consumption of South-eastern Asia together on condition that a kind of mixture of opium and tobacco spread. In the midst of 18th century British occupied the Bengal, which is an important opium production base, and made opium a government monopoly that made preparation for large-scale opium production later. Shortly after this, the smoking method of pure opium was invented in China. Because of this, China replaced South-eastern Asia and become the largest opium market soon. Thus Triangular Trade that opium was mainly produced in India and consumed in China and South-eastern Asia formed. In the first half of 19th century, British who controlled Bengal opium launched a fierce competition with Indian merchants who controlled Malwa opium. The annexation of Sindh by Britain in 1843 means the British victory, but China native opium began to compete with Indian opium after 1842 in the year the Opium War ended. On Chinese opium market, competition gradually decreased the market share of Indian opium that transferred to the Southeastern Asian market accordingly. After 1880s, the Southeastern Asian opium market was fully saturated. At the same time, the declining price of opium almost made Indian opium unprofitable. British abandoned opium policy in the early 20th century that means the end of opium Triangular Trade.That opium rampancy in modern China related with the international opium trade pattern closely. This thesis studies the course of formation, development and evolution of the opium Triangular Trade pattern and the interaction between external supply and inner demand of China, and wants to reveal the reasons of opium rampancy in modern China and to describe the outline of process of opium rampancy. Given the inadequate academic concern about Indian opium production, the thesis also studies the production process of Indian opium, production system, the living conditions of opium farmers and the opium consumption in India. On this basis, the thesis compares the opium consumption in China with that in India.