China was originally self-contained, relying on its status as an ancient cultural power to play the leading role in East Asia. But in 1840, after the resumption of contacts between East and West, came the horrors of the Opium War.
中國原本是自給自足，雄據東亞的文化古國，但是自從一八四○年，東西方再度接觸，卻伴隨著鴉片戰爭的慘酷烙印。