Singapore, China, and the Opium Wars

Before the introduction of opium in the 1500s, Singapore was a trading port for Chinese, Arabs, and Portuguese merchants. Under British rule, this swampy, little island became the world center for the opium trade. Learn how Singapore survived wars, invasions, and betrayal to become one of the world's most beautiful, safest, richest, and undoubtedly cleanest nations in the world.