Turning Mud into Gold:Smoking Opium Consumption and Its Commodification in the Qing Dynasty
The commercialisation of opium in the Qing dynasty began in the early 18th century,when the Qing government issued an opium ban in 1729,except for medicinal opium,smoking opium still existed in the market.In the process of dealing with the impurities of imported opium,the way of smoking pure opium appeared,increasing the market demand for opium at the same time,but also gave rise to the emergence of a variety of smoking equipment to match.The promotion of the commercialisation of opium by consumer psychology is not only manifested in the pursuit of exquisite smoking utensils and the glorification of the state of mind after using opium by the upper classes,but also in the choice of opium by other social classes for reasons such as admiration for the effects of opium,the search for recognition,and the search for relaxation.When opium gradually penetrated into all social classes in the Qing Dynasty,the opium house,as the most important place for opium consumption,changed its profit content from convenient and fast to meet the customers'needs to selling services and shaping a positive image of opium consumption,which became another important driving force in the process of opium commercialisation.
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