直到18世纪末,世界上还不存在我们今天看到的鸦片烟枪和鸦片烟灯。而在人类历史上,这一项社会与历史意义十分重大的小发明,大大改变了人类服用鸦片的方式,极大地增强了鸦片的上瘾性和副作用。在发明后的半个多世纪内,只有中国人以这种方式抽鸦片。中国瘾君子的人均鸦片消费量提升了4至9倍,结果,便是鸦片贸易的骤然繁荣和迅猛发展。表面上看,当时的清帝国拥有史上最广阔的版图和最多的人口,GDP与整个欧洲相当,但它的领土内同时生活着地球上最富裕和最贫困的居民,贫富差距大得惊人。最终道光皇帝发现,为了挽回帝国经济的颓势,抑制白银外流和通货 It was not until the end of the 18th century that the opium and opium lamps we see today are not yet available in the world. In the history of mankind, this very small invention of social and historical importance has greatly changed the way humans take opium and greatly enhanced the opiate addiction and side effects. For more than half a century after the invention, only the Chinese smoked opium in this way. Per capita consumption of opiates among Chinese addicts has been raised by four to nine times. As a result, there has been a sudden boom and rapid development of the opium trade. On the surface, at that time, the Qing Empire had the most extensive territory and the largest population in its history. GDP was comparable to that of Europe as a whole. However, its territory simultaneously contained the richest and poorest inhabitants on Earth. The disparity between the rich and the poor was astounding. Finally Daoguang emperor found that in order to restore the decline of the imperial economy, inhibit the outflow of silver and currency