The Opium Museum is, at the heart, about the trade in rare antiques, since opium smoking paraphernalia was outlawed. Still, there are pages and pages of the history of opium and its use in countries all over the world, with many historical photographs.
For serious collectors, there is information on how to identify genuine opium tools and have them appraised. Link -via Metafilter
Beginning in the 18th century, opium accompanied the Chinese diaspora: first to the Chinese quarters of Asian cities, and later to the Chinatowns of the West, particularly North America, where opium smoking in the Chinese manner and with Chinese-made paraphernalia became fashionable among non-Chinese.
Once the drug was banned and its paraphernalia outlawed, these illicit items were heaped into piles and burned in public bonfires. From Shanghai to Saigon to San Francisco, the means to smoke opium were destroyed along with the drug itself. So few examples of these relics remain that most experts on Chinese art are blithely unaware of just how sumptuous and opulent this art form had become during its heyday.
For serious collectors, there is information on how to identify genuine opium tools and have them appraised. Link -via Metafilter
Yes, Alex, the Brits were undoubtedly some of the meanest and most evil bastards of all time. The glories of the Victorian era were built on blood and conquest.
Hygiene and sanitation in Britain was not all that great, and many places got their drinking water from rivers where people upstream dumped their waste. If you were thirsty, water could kill you, so you drank beer or wine. This meant that many people were tipsy, all day long.
Then came tea, and to make it, you had to boil the water. This provided the only non-alcoholic beverage that was safe to drink. There was only one problem....the Chinese would only accept silver or gold in payment. This was depleting the British treasury, and they needed a solution, and FAST.
Enter opium. British ships would travel to India with luxury and manufactured goods, then load up with opium for China, sell it there, and use the gold and silver to buy tea, silks, and spices.
The Chinese objected to the opium, and war resulted. The British sailed a warship up a river, and THAT was the origin of the phrase "gunboat diplomacy". As part of the settlement of the war, Britain ended up with a lease on a chunk of rock known as Hong Kong, which expired in 1997.
Like I said, this is simplistic, and from memory, so feel free to provide clarification.