From Opium to Fentanyl: Echoes of China’s Century of Humiliation

Introduction

In the annals of Chinese history, there are few periods as fraught with pain and transformation as the so-called “Century of Humiliation.” Spanning from the First Opium War in 1839 to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, this period was characterized by a series of profound crises that left indelible marks on the Chinese psyche. Foreign invasions, unequal treaties, territorial losses, and the collapse of dynastic rule were the hallmarks of a century that saw China’s status diminished on the world stage.

Central to the onset of this Century of Humiliation was opium. The First Opium War, fought between China and Britain, started about disputes over trade, specifically, over the opium trade. British merchants had been selling opium to China, leading to widespread addiction and social problems. When the Chinese government took steps to prohibit the opium trade, conflict ensued, and China was ultimately forced into a series of unequal treaties that eroded its sovereignty.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and we find ourselves in the throes of another crisis involving a potent drug: Fentanyl. This synthetic opioid, far more powerful than heroin, has wreaked havoc in societies across the globe, leading to an escalating number of overdose deaths. Like opium in the 19th century, Fentanyl’s deadly spread has been facilitated by international trade and complicated by political considerations.