Masterly... Important reading not only for those interested in China's history but also for anyone seeking to understand the explosive intersection between trade and politics today.
Wall Street Journal

Meticulously researched... A rich and finely balanced account of how Britain and China came to blows.John Keay
Literary Review

This thoroughly researched and delightful work is essential for anyone interested in Chinese or British imperial history
Library Journal (Starred Review)

A fresh perspective on the first Opium War, the conflict that allowed Western merchants to pry open China's riches and gain unprecedented trading privileges... Platt's research is impeccably presented in this winning history of British and Chinese trade.
Publishers Weekly

Clear writing and an excellent sense of story and scene-setting mark Platt's reexamination of the causes of the First Opium War... Platt brings to life the people who drive the story, including the missionaries desperate to learn more about China and its language, the drug smugglers who made so much money they still have name recognition, the officials desperate to handle a growing crisis of widespread opium addiction, and even a pirate queen and Jane Austen's older brother.
Booklist (starred review)

A deeply researched study of an early clash of civilizations, when England attempted to impose its will on East Asia... A fluent, well-written exercise in revisionism.
Kirkus Reviews