"Two Merchants’ Accounts of the Opium Trade Article" Analysis Essay Example

The article, Two Merchants’ Accounts of the Opium Trade, provides insight of strains that Chinese society and their empire felt during the expansion of modernity. It presents us with an interpretation of the opium trade from a foreign merchant's perspective giving us dialogue and introspection from the benefiting side of the transaction. The statements of American and British merchants' moral conflict on the effects of the opium trade on China reveal how the expansion of European modernity and trade caused social and empirical demise. This can be demonstrated through the direct effects of opium on an individual, the forcefulness of the expansion of modernity, and the unequivocal disrespect that merchants had towards Chinese government officials and laws. 

The importation of opium created widespread distribution which gave the Chinese population easy access to a highly addictive and destructive drug. In the American’s documentation he noted the change of individuals with use of the drug.  He perceived Chinese individuals to be traditionally healthy, hardworking, and intelligent (reference) yet saw these qualities become incongruent with use of the substance. The British described its popularity as a “rage” and those  that fell into addiction as “lost to society, his family, and himself” and “looked upon as a reprobate, a deachee, an incurable” (reference) causing “premature decay and death”. When a significant portion of previously disciplined society becomes ridden with indisposed individuals, unable to work this puts strain on the remainder of their community to upkeep their economy, and societal structure while taking care of them. These damaging effects not only hurt the individual but had deteriorating systemic effects to their society.

The rapid and forceful expansion of modernity allowed foreign merchants to implement a morally corrupt trade. The merchants stated that it was a highly profitable trade with “gentlemanly” amounts but it created “dangerous and pernicious influence on health and morals” (reference). Though merchants were aware of the damages of the substance and the conflicting morals in economically benefiting from this exploitation, the European desire for expansion and control trumped ethical reasoning. With the increasing power of the British’s control of the opium trade in China created an increase of tension and anxiety because it amplified the loss of China’s control of trade in India and decreased their own power(lecture). 

The dismissal of Chinese law by merchants was humiliating and displayed weakness in the Chinese government creating room for further exploitation. In the British merchants account he stated that the trading of opium ignored the “laws of the empire” and was a“gross infraction of laws, the breaking of which affects the basis of all good government, the morals of the country.” The constant infraction of laws by the traders weakened the Chinese empire to the eyes of the Europeans since they were unable to control the use and trade of this illegal banned.This gave the ability for the British traders to take advantage and abuse of the community gave them further power and confidence when the demanded compensation for confiscated opium(lecture). This was detrimental for it dismantled their justice and trading system (lecture). 

The journaled report of, Two Merchants’ Accounts of the Opium Trade, gave understanding into China’s response and adaptation to the spread of modernity and European trade. The moral debate narrated in American and British traders' writing revealed the social and political repercussions of the spread of modernity to China. It is visible through the decaying effects of opium addiction to the Chinese population, the exploitation of an unethical trade and the persistent dishonor that trading companies had for the Chinese empire’s mandates.