Arab traders introduced opium to China during the 9th and 10th centuries by way of camel. But by the 1400s when ships starting sailing to the East, the opium trade became quite lucrative. By the late 1700s, England’s East India Company was sending massive quantities of opium to China. The drug caused horrific devastation to Chinese society, so much so that the Chinese went to war with England in 1839 to put a stop to it.
Suellen Ocean is the author of the historical series, The Lion’s Trace Available here:
The Lies of the Lion (Book 1)
The Guild (Book 2)
The Last Quadroon (Book 3)
eBooks and computer downloads available through Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean