During the Ka’ei era (1848-1854) a number of accounts were published about the events relating to the Opium war of 1840. These were largely based on Chinese manuscripts that entered Japan through Nagasaki, some of them fictitious. The work includes a spurious account of the younger sister of Queen Victoria being arrested by Chen Huacheng (1776-1842) in China. Overall, the book paints a positive picture of the Qing being largely victorious against the British. But the mere fact that an analysis of Chinese foreign policy was published in Japan during the period of seclusion (sakoku) may have been threatening to the Shogunate. The Bureau of Censorship in Nagasaki was well informed by both the Dutch and the Chinese of political developments on the continent. However, these insights were considered secret as news of China’s decline might lead to political troubles at home. The title-page states that the book was printed in a limited edition of 200 copies and that it was forbidden to sell and distribute the work. Very rare. Only 4 copies in OCLC.
