.webp?h=8 "Top Hat (black) - Traditional. Classy. Elegant.")
So, I started reading Moby Peepee, and I didn’t expect this book would be so funny. I’m currently on chapter 13, and up to this point Ishmael and Queequeg had so many “no homo” moments. Can’t wait for the Captain Ahab chapters.
I’ve also finished “It” by Stephen King. It was my first King book, and god, I didn’t expected for it to be 50% filler, so many pointless 
and endless backstories of side characters that never show up again, plus the creepy child gangbang 
near the end had some “50 shades of Grey” tier writing. A friend of mine recommended me “The Shining” but l’m not quite sure anymore.
What do you guys recommend?
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Neither are historians.
Trade balance is basically the total value of exports minus total value of imports. So, a "positive trade balance" or "trade surplus" is seen as a 'good' thing while importing more than exporting (trade deficit) is a 'bad' thing. Still, it's net effect isn't clear since countries like the US and many other 1st world countries can have a trade deficit without having any problems. It depends on other policies and the type of currency involved, such as being open to foreign direct investment (and how well the local state can tax that). I'm assuming the foreign trade zones didn't capture much in taxes for the Qing, but they also granted such favors (albeit at gunpoint, kinda), so
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The deflationary effect still happens, and even if you're poor and trade in silver coins or whatever, you'll get some of that benefit. To make it more complicated, the Qing can also inflate their currency by devaluing the silver (putting more lead in coins), so there's that going on too.
Not being able to tax the imports on drugs is a problem from the state's POV, but that's not really a trade policy issue that directly relates to account balances.
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It does seem that actual impact of opium on silver is subject to debate.
Regardless of how damaging the silver drain was, it was definitely a core part of Qing government's motivation to crush the opium trade. Perhaps they were misguided
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That's not surprising since it would have to be a lot of silver spent on opium as a percentage of the economy's total goods and 'money' supply.
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