Skin Residues Strained Through Cloths After Extracting. 1915

Black and white photograph Chinese men working in an opium factory overseen by a British marine supervisor, Hong Kong, China. This picture is part of a series on opium production in Hong Kong This photograph shows men straining the skin residue of opium balls, through cloths, at 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.