Europeans who believed that trade was a natural right hated the restrictions the system put on their movements. They also needed goods to trade, which is where opium came in. In pursuit of profits, European traders poured illegal opium into China, creating millions of addicts. The Opium War began in 1839, several years after The China Bride. Britain used its military strength to bully trading concessions out of the Chinese government, and it took a century to throw the Europeans out so China could regain its sovereignty. This was not the West's finest hour.

I avoided trying to reproduce the pidgin trade language of South China, since it sounds so ugly to the modern ear. However, for lack of better terms and because they are historically accurate, I occasionally used Asiatic and Oriental, even though the words have acquired some negative connotations.

I hope you enjoyed seeing Kyle and Troth Mei-Lian build their own personal bridge between East and West.


***