Frank Dikotter et al's recent book on opium in China-Narcotic Culture- also an article they cite by Richard Newman will help you on this. regards, Virginia Berridge Virginia Berridge Professor of History Centre for History in Public Health Department of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Keppel Street London WC1E 7HT Tel: 0207 927 - 2269 Fax: 0207 637 - 3238 http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/history >>> [log in to unmask] 01/20/05 2:03 AM >>> Recently I read that at the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century China, with perhaps a quarter of the world's population, consumed about 95% of the world's opium production. I am familiar with the Opium Wars between Britain and China. British imperialism explains supply. What puzzles me is the disproprrtionate demand in China. My questions to drugs historians: is the statistic credible? why did the Chinese develop opium habits more than other people? was it a question of opium consumption being illegal elsewhere, alcohol being preferred elsewhere, or what?