Reexploring the Issue of Import Substitution in Modern China:A Case Study of the Conflict Between Native and Foreign Opium in Guangdong
In modern times,Guangdong served as the forefront for opium imported from foreign countries and a distant consumption market for opium produced in the regions of Sichuan,Yunnan,and Guizhou.In such an extreme environment,native and foreign opium were intertwined in an intricate relationship,characterized by mutual competition and dependence.Previous scholars believed that in modern times the substitution rate of imported opium in Guangdong was relatively low,often glossing over it in brief discussions.In fact,starting from the 1880s,native opium,with its affordable price and improving quality,became a formidable competitor to foreign opium,and gradually dominated the consumption market of Guangdong.New calculations reveal that,at its peak,Guangdong consumed over 20 000 piculs of native opium annually,rather than just a few hundred piculs.The import substitution rate might have reached as high as 66.61％,a stark contrast to the"insignificant"rate posited by previous scholars.This research on the opium import substitution in the unique region of Guangdong offers insights to the complex competition between domestic and imported goods in modern China.
Modern ChinaGuangdongNative OpiumOpium SmugglingPoppy CultivationImport Substitution
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