ABSTRACT
After the uprising of the Small Sword Society was crushed, Shanghai was again tranquil. For all the efforts of the Small Swords to join forces with the Taipings, the Taipings made no attempt to reciprocate. The principal reason for this was the fact that the physical constitution of the Small Sword Society did not sit well with the leaders of the Taiping movement. There were a good number of both opium smokers and opium dealers among the members of the Small Swords.
