Silk, Silver, Opium: The Trade with China that Changed History | Hinrich Foundation

Описание: Join author, historian and former judge Michael Pembroke for a deep dive into 300 years of global trade with China and how it reshaped the world economy, great power politics and China’s own path to modernity.

In this Hinrich Foundation event moderated by Andrew Staples, Michael unpacks the five key commodities that drove early globalization: silk, porcelain, tea, silver and opium. He shows how Europe’s addiction to Chinese goods created a massive outflow of silver, sparked financial innovation in London, then led to the Opium Wars and a “century of humiliation” for China. He connects these histories to today’s geopolitics, from China’s manufacturing dominance and demand for strategic materials like silver, to debates on deglobalization, weaponized trade and great power rivalry between China and the United States.

You’ll learn:
• How China functioned as the world’s manufacturing superpower from the 1500s to the early 1800s
• Why silver flowed into China for centuries, then suddenly reversed with the rise of the opium trade
• How the First and Second Opium Wars, unequal treaties and massive indemnities crippled Qing China
• Why this “century of humiliation” still shapes Chinese policy on sovereignty, self reliance and security today
• How early mass production in places like Jingdezhen anticipated the industrial revolution by centuries

About Trade Book Talks
Our Trade Book Talks delve into timely research-driven perspectives on global trade issues for an audience of academics, policymakers and trade practitioners. Each moderated session features authors of recently published books that provide insight into the evolving global trade landscape. https://tinyurl.com/yk9w2azz