Packing Dept 1915

Black and white photograph showing a man at tables packing small tins of opium, at a factory, Hong Kong, China. This picture is part of a series on opium production in Hong Kong. This photograph shows a man in the foreground packing small tins of opium, with other people carrying out similar work in the background, in a government monopoly factory. This photograph was taken in 1915, towards the end of the opium trade. The opium trade between Britain and China with was the result of two wars (1839-42 and 1856-60), and had a detrimental impact on the people of China where the drug was sold, and the people of India, where the drug was farmed.