In 1839 Britain embarked on the first of its wars with China, sealing the fate of the most prosperous and powerful empire in Asia, if not the world. Motivated by drug profiteering and free-trade interests, the Opium War helped shaped the China we know today, sparking the eventual fall of the Qing dynasty and the rise of nationalism and communism in the twentieth century. “Imperial Twilight” is a riveting and revealing account of the end of China's Golden Age and the origins of one of the most unjust wars in history.
"Platt makes the war the centrepiece of an epic narrative, full of extraordinary characters and unexpected twists... Crucially, Platt sees this as a definitive turning point, which broke China's economic momentum for at least a century and informs its attitude to the West to this day."
Sunday Times, 'Books of the Year'
"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
"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
"Platt's excellent new history of China and its relations with Britain and the US in the 50 years up to 1839 could hardly be more timely... Platt writes beautifully, with a novelist's eye for detail."
