22 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I42 



kinds of pipes, one with a long stem and small bowl, the other a water 

 pipe, in which the smoke is cooled and purified by being drawn 

 through water. Cigars are smoked in the long pipes, being stuck into 

 the small bowls before lighting (ibid., p. 559). 



At the close of the Manchu dynasty and in the first years of the 

 Republic, there was some traffic in and use of opium, but it was 

 planted in out-of-the-way places and sold and used secretly. In 1916 

 Gen. Ch'ai O, rebelling against Yuan Shih-k'ai, invaded Szechwan 

 with an army of Yunnanese. This army and its officers brought much 

 opium into Szechwan, which greatly stimulated opium planting and 

 use in this province. Opium was planted openly and over a large area 

 in the province, and the number of smokers increased at least several 

 fold. After the National Government in Nanking, about 1930, secured 

 a stronger hold in Szechwan, there was much less planting of opium 

 in the province, and its use greatly diminished. In the large cities 

 efforts were made to help addicts get rid of the habit. 



Prior to 1930 the cultivation, transportation, sale, and smoking 

 of opium was a very important factor in the economic life of West 

 China. Farmers were heavily taxed for its cultivation. Before the 

 time of planting, placards were often posted in towns and cities stating 

 how much the tax would be. Sometimes a compulsory "lazy man's 

 contribution" was collected from those who did not plant the poppy. 

 This was so high that farmers were compelled to plant opium. The 

 planting of opium decreased the food supply and raised the cost of 

 living. Opium was also taxed during transportation, and to make 

 sure of this source of income officials would take an interest in safe 

 delivery, severely punishing robbers who stole the opium. Opium dens 

 were taxed according to the number of lamps used in smoking the 

 drug, and if a proprietor wished to close down, he was often re- 

 quired to find another person who would operate such a den with at 

 least as many lamps for smoking. The opium was very expensive 

 and was a heavy drain on the finances of smokers and their families, 

 who often became bankrupt. The habit also imfitted many for useful 

 and gainful occupations. Those who profited from the opium trade 

 were the farmers who planted it, the merchants who bought and sold 

 it, the proprietors of dens where it was smoked, and the officials who 

 collected the taxes. 



There were ethnic groups in West China, such as the Ch'uan Miao 

 and the Ch'iang, among whom there were practically no merchants. 

 The Chinese, however, have long been skillful merchants, and stores 

 existed in every city and village for the sale of various items. Except 



