Madak
Encyclopedia
Madak was a blend of opium
and tobacco
used as a recreational drug in 17th and 18th century China
. It emerged in southern coastal areas in the first half of the 17th century. In the last quarter of the 18th century madak was phased out by raw opium
. The prohibition of madak in 1729 may have been a contributing factor to the increase in popularity of smoking pure opium.
Raw opium was introduced in China by Arab merchants. Rather than taking bitter raw opium orally, the Chinese attempted smoking opium mixed with other substances. According to Dikotter et al., smoking opium blended with tobacco was introduced in China by the Dutch traders
between 1624 and 1660. Madak was prepared by blending opium from Java
with domestic Chinese hemp
and herbs, boiling the mix in pans and, finally, mixing with tobacco. It was smoked in bamboo
pipes with coir
fibre filter. The new addiction was limited to coastal territories around Taiwan Strait
; further spread was hampered by the civil war that accompanied the fall of the Ming Dynasty
. The new Qing Dynasty
government was not aware of madak until 1683. The lucrative opium business continued spreading along the coast of Southern China, although exact chronology of this spread remains unknown.
By 1720 the government realized that madak smoking was a social evil that has corrupted not just the lowest classes, but the "good families" too. Smoking dens, where people congregated at night, were deemed as dangerous as heretical cults
and political conspiracies. In 1729 the Yongzheng Emperor
banned recreational smoking of madak. Medicinal use remained permitted. According to Dikotter et al., the prohibition targeted madak smoking not as such, but as a dangerous form of unacceptable social life feared by the Forbidden City
(and thus was akin to A Counterblaste to Tobacco
written a century earlier by James I of England
). Madak had a "very narrow consumer base" confined to Fujian
, Guangdong
and Taiwan
. Peak consumption, according to Dutch records, was under 12 tonnes of opium per annum.
The British East India Company
complied with the ban until 1780, the Portuguese ships continued small-scale deliveries of "medicinal" opium. In 1780 the East India Company faced a dire financial crisis and resorted to opium smugging. Their opium did not sell at all: only 15% of the English shipment found customers within China. However, in the next two decades consumption of opium rapidly grew. The Chinese replaced madak with raw opium; madak remained in limited use by the Malay people. In 1793 the British assumed a monopoly
on now profitable opium trading. The Peking government banned opium in 1796, temporarily driving the market underground. Historian Xiao Yishan reasoned that the surge in opium consumption was directly influenced by the 1729 prohibition. According to Dikotter et al., exact causes of the change remain unknown.
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
used as a recreational drug in 17th and 18th century China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It emerged in southern coastal areas in the first half of the 17th century. In the last quarter of the 18th century madak was phased out by raw opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
. The prohibition of madak in 1729 may have been a contributing factor to the increase in popularity of smoking pure opium.
Raw opium was introduced in China by Arab merchants. Rather than taking bitter raw opium orally, the Chinese attempted smoking opium mixed with other substances. According to Dikotter et al., smoking opium blended with tobacco was introduced in China by the Dutch traders
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
between 1624 and 1660. Madak was prepared by blending opium from Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
with domestic Chinese hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
and herbs, boiling the mix in pans and, finally, mixing with tobacco. It was smoked in bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
pipes with coir
Coir
Coir is a natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, mattresses etc. Technically coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. Other uses of brown coir are in upholstery...
fibre filter. The new addiction was limited to coastal territories around Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
; further spread was hampered by the civil war that accompanied the fall of the Ming Dynasty
Fall of the Ming Dynasty
The collapse of the Ming Dynasty was a protracted affair, its roots beginning as early as 1600 with the emergence of the Manchu under Nurhaci. Originally a vassal of the Ming emperors, Nurhaci in 1582 embarked on an inter-tribal feud that escalated into a campaign to unify the Jianzhou Jurchen tribes...
. The new Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
government was not aware of madak until 1683. The lucrative opium business continued spreading along the coast of Southern China, although exact chronology of this spread remains unknown.
By 1720 the government realized that madak smoking was a social evil that has corrupted not just the lowest classes, but the "good families" too. Smoking dens, where people congregated at night, were deemed as dangerous as heretical cults
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
and political conspiracies. In 1729 the Yongzheng Emperor
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
banned recreational smoking of madak. Medicinal use remained permitted. According to Dikotter et al., the prohibition targeted madak smoking not as such, but as a dangerous form of unacceptable social life feared by the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
(and thus was akin to A Counterblaste to Tobacco
A Counterblaste to Tobacco
A Counterblaste to Tobacco is a treatise written by King James VI of Scotland and I of England in 1604, in which he expresses his distaste for tobacco, particularly tobacco smoking. As such, it is one of the earliest anti-tobacco publications....
written a century earlier by James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
). Madak had a "very narrow consumer base" confined to Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Peak consumption, according to Dutch records, was under 12 tonnes of opium per annum.
The British East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
complied with the ban until 1780, the Portuguese ships continued small-scale deliveries of "medicinal" opium. In 1780 the East India Company faced a dire financial crisis and resorted to opium smugging. Their opium did not sell at all: only 15% of the English shipment found customers within China. However, in the next two decades consumption of opium rapidly grew. The Chinese replaced madak with raw opium; madak remained in limited use by the Malay people. In 1793 the British assumed a monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on now profitable opium trading. The Peking government banned opium in 1796, temporarily driving the market underground. Historian Xiao Yishan reasoned that the surge in opium consumption was directly influenced by the 1729 prohibition. According to Dikotter et al., exact causes of the change remain unknown.