The English Concubine : Passion And Power In 1860S Singapore

In the fourth and final volume of the The Straits Quartet, Charlotte
Macleod is the English concubine. Her love affair with Zhen, wealthy
Chinese merchant, is an open scandal to both the English and the Chinese
communities. Singapore in 1860 is a vice-ridden town filled 'with the dregs
of humanity from two continents.' Opium makes up half of the British
Empire's trade in the East and, from Singapore, the Chinese triads control
the vast distribution of chandu, the refined opium, which is spread through
the south seas. Turf wars are fought on the high seas and on the streets of
Chinatown to control the mighty profits of this trade. The colonial
government, impoverished and ineffectual, can do nothing about it. Only the
Chinese godfather, the Lord of the Kongsi, has that power through his
control of the coolie, prostitute and opium trade.