Creating the Opium War: British Imperial Attitudes Towards China, 1792-1840

 am a historian of British imperialism in Asia, China in global history, particularly the encounters between the British and the Chinese empires in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I am generally interested in exploring the mutual understandings and misunderstandings between China and the West in the early processes of globalisation.

My monograph Creating the Opium War: British Imperial Attitudes towards China, 1792-1840  examines British perceptions of and attitudes towards China during their encounters from the Macartney embassy to the outbreak of the Opium War. It makes the first attempt to bring together the political history of Sino-western relations and cultural studies of British representations of China, as a new way of connecting 'top-down' international history with 'bottom-up' global history. The book adds a new dimension to explain the origins of the Opium War, which arguably reshaped Sino-western relations in the modern age.

In addition to my book, I have published peer-reviewed research articles in both English and Chinese journals, including History, Historical Research, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, and Britain and the World.

Born and raised in China, I have been trained as a historian in both British and Chinese academia. I studied in Peking University before I came to the UK. I completed my PhD in University of Edinburgh. I joined University of Exeter in 2015 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020. I currently serve as the University's Academic Director for the UK-China Humanties Alliance (UKCHA), with Exeter as the Lead University on the UK side.

Research Interests 

My monograph Creating the Opium War: British Imperial Attitudes towards China, 1792-1840 (MUP: Studies in Imperialism series, 2020) examines British perceptions of and attitudes towards China during their encounters from the Macartney embassy to the outbreak of the Opium War. Focusing on a deeply consequential period, the importance of which has recently been compared with that of American and French Revolutions, this research makes the first attempt to bring together the political history of Sino-western relations and cultural studies of British representations of China. 

By examing a wealth of primary materials, some in more detail than ever before, my study reveals how the idea of war against China was created out of changing British perceptions of the country. Connecting 'top-down' international history with 'bottom-up' global history, it provides a new way of explaining the origins of the Opium War, which arguably reshaped Sino-western relations in the modern age.

In addition to my book, I have published peer-reviewed research articles in both English and Chinese journals, including History, Historical Research, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, and Britain and the World.

Source: University of Exeter