At that time opium was a legal product in China, and was a favored bedtime indulgence for royalty and high officialdom. It was also a profitable tool by which imperialist powers could squeeze silver out of China.
那時鴉片是完全合法的商品，是王公貴族們橫陳臥榻時的最高享受，也是帝國霸權將鉅額白銀自中國榨取盡淨的貿易利器。