Title: From the Chinese Literati point of view
Review: The first reviewer 'Houghton@i-wave.net' has given a very good general review on the book. Polachek's research was extensive and he looked at sources, especially those in Chinese, which very few Westerners have previously commented on. However, it would appear that the emphasis on the influence of the Literati groups may be over the top in certain areas. There were certainly different groups in the Qing Court, but were they really so significant as to be the most important factors in policies regarding the Opium War? Chinese Emperors were well known for their absolute power in policy decisions over their court oficials. And how about 'individual believes' rather than 'group believes'.
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