Intoxicating Manchuria: Alcohol, Opium, and Culture in China's Northeast (Contemporary Eastern Studies)

Contemporary Chinese Studies (UBC Press)

by Norman Smith, Kirill Batygin (translator)

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

Genres: History, China

426 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its not a bad read, its fairly interesting, its just super narrow. I've read some books on Manchuria, so I could follow this, but I expected it to tell me more about the politics, culture and history of Manchuria, and it is extremely narrow in talking only about alcohol, opium and their culture. You will learn 5 different names for opium and 5 different names for rice liquor, but not a word about the League of Nations.

You can't read this book if you don't already know who ruled Manchuria at different times, what the MSR is, and how Manchukuo came into being. The book won't explain this, it expects you know. This shouldn't be your first book on Manchuria.