Imperial Twilight

“What caused the Opium War?” I never knew this question required 400 pages to explain until I read this book. Platt extricates history from narrative and objectively describes the causes of this consequential occurrence while never becoming pedantic or dry. It is worth noting this is not a military history: the course of the war is described in less than five pages. It's more like an account of Sino-British relations before the Opium War and how the war was sparked. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Chinese history!