Intoxicating Manchuria

Alcohol, Opium, and Culture in China's Northeast

Norman Smith author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of British Columbia Press

Published:1st Oct '13

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Intoxicating Manchuria cover

An illuminating and fascinating analysis of the connections between Japanese imperialism, narratives of addiction, and Chinese popular culture in the early twentieth century.

Examines how alcohol, opium, and addiction were portrayed in the culture of China’s Northeast during the first half of the twentieth century.

In China, both opium and alcohol were used for centuries in the pursuit of health and leisure while simultaneously linked to personal and social decline. The impact of these substances is undeniable, and the role they have played in Chinese social, cultural, and economic history is extremely complex.

In Intoxicating Manchuria, Norman Smith reveals how warlord rule, Japanese occupation, and political conflict affected local intoxicant industries. These industries flourished throughout the early twentieth century, even as a vigorous anti-intoxicant movement raged. Through the lens of popular Chinese media depictions of alcohol and opium, Smith analyzes how intoxicants and addiction were understood in this society, the role the Japanese occupation of Manchuria played in their portrayal, and the efforts made to reduce opium and alcohol consumption. This is the first English-language book-length study to focus on alcohol use in modern China and the first dealing with intoxicant restrictions in the region.

  • Winner of Gourmand Best Drink History Book (Canada-English), Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2013

ISBN: 9780774824293

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 480g

312 pages