{"title":"Ronald C. Po","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRonald C. Po\u003c\/strong\u003e offers insightful explorations into pivotal moments of history, with a keen focus on military conflicts and their wider cultural impacts. His works, such as \u003cem\u003eThe Camphor War\u003c\/em\u003e, delve into nuanced historical narratives that challenge conventional perspectives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thorough research combined with engaging storytelling that brings to life the complexities of historical events. Po’s writing appeals to those interested in understanding the strategic, political, and human dimensions of war within a rich historical context.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-camphor-war-by-ronald-c-po-9780231223997","title":"The Camphor War","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe First Opium War is remembered as the defining conflict between Britain and China in the nineteenth century. In stark contrast, the Camphor War of 1868 has faded into obscurity. Lasting for only a few weeks, the clash arose from British interests in breaking the Qing monopoly over the lucrative trade in camphor, which was cultivated in Taiwan and widely used for medicinal purposes. Despite its small scale, the war brought to light shifting dynamics in China and Taiwan's engagement with the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExamining this little-known conflict, Ronald C. Po shows how the Qing and British empires evolved during a period of imperial reconfigurations and border realignments. The Qing adopted more active approaches to controlling their frontiers, regulating trade, and responding to foreign aggression. Situating the war in the early decades of the Self-Strengthening Movement, Po demonstrates how the Qing state reshaped Taiwan from a frontier into a political landscape of negotiation, as well as how camphor became both an object of intense commercial interest and a means for power contests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy centering on this seemingly peripheral war, the book shifts focus from grand confrontations to the subtler mechanisms through which empires adjusted, faltered, and realigned. Synthesizing maritime, commodity, environmental, and imperial history, \u003cem\u003eThe Camphor War\u003c\/em\u003e complicates static notions of empire and reveals Taiwan's importance in nineteenth-century East Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48038515802348,"sku":"9780231223997","price":66.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780231223997-the-camphor-war.jpg?v=1785393319"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/ronald-c-po.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}