The Joy Luck Club Research Paper

330 Words2 Pages
Another major consequence of the Opium Wars and ensuing trade that can be observed in the lives of the Chinese-Americans of The Joy Luck Club is the consumption of the opium itself and how over time it became integrated into Chinese culture. How Opium Made the World Go Round mentions that at first, opium consumption wasn’t a big deal because it was too expensive for recreational use, only being available for the rich. However, in 1818 a cheaper manufacturing process was discovered and by 1839 enough opium for eighteen million Chinese consumers was being imported (Pomeranz 102). Over time, more and more Chinese citizens began to use opium until it became commonplace in Chinese restaurants and by 1900 over forty million were addicted to the

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