Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age Free Audiobook Download by Stephen R. Platt

In 1839, the British government imposed its first tariff on China. This tax levied by the British on goods sold in China was not a new idea. But the timing proved fateful: it coincided with a dramatic shift in Chinese society from one based on markets to one based on opium - a point of no return for China's economy and culture as well as for future generations.

Stephen R. Platt's narrative follows the Opium War as it twists and turns through the centuries. He discusses how western powers exploited China for its resources and how foreign powers repeatedly abused Chinese sovereignty and kidnapped Chinese ambassadors to force treaties in their favor.

Stephen R. Platt presents the startling revelation that just one opium-smoking Englishman, Captain Charles Elliot, destroyed a close-knit and prosperous Chinese community in the city of Guangzhou. The result was the end of China’s illustrious Golden Age.

"The Opium Wars are not just an event in China's history, but in the history of the world." Stephen R. Platt builds his narrative on this thesis, and it is one that is asserted by one of the most well-known historians in China today. In Imperial Twilight, Platt investigates how Western imperialism caused the destruction of China's last golden age and made possible the fall of China to Communism.

The Opium War marked a turning point in China's history, and as the country was reeling from 18 years of foreign and domestic turmoil, it became clear that only one man could save the country from imminent collapse. That man was Li Hongzhang and he is the protagonist of Stephen R. Platt's book "Imperial Twilight." With his vast experience in the field of international diplomacy, Li became known for his ingenuity, wisdom, charisma and strategic brilliance until he came to be known as “China's best diplomat.”

Stephen R. Platt's Imperial Twilight is a captivating account of the causes and consequences of one event in history, but it encompasses much more as well. The author paints a picture of China as having been a thriving, prosperous country that was at the forefront of science in the early 1800s up until its widespread use of opium to alleviate pain and suffering brought about an end to their golden age.