ABSTRACT
The First Opium War, a direct result of opening China to free trade, constitutes an episode in imperial history. It casts British aggression in China as indefensible, 'a national disgrace' stemming from cultural arrogance, linguistic ignorance, and a refusal to honor Chinese socio-political mores. South Asia: the Portal of India includes Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, the Himalayas, and Afghanistan. As the portal of China, the Eastern Archipelago included Singapore and Malaysia. Harriet Martineau's prolific periodical writing illustrates the clarity of her insights and the internal logic of her socio-cultural and political assessments. The 'throwing open' of elusive China and Japan comprised pivotal episodes in world history, particularly for commercial and cultural exchanges. Ironically, it was Japan, despite its resounding defeat in World War II, which was instrumental in reinvigorating Britain's much reduced economic status as the first-world nation.
