Yeah, the books are really frustrating from Laurence's POV. Most of the time, it drives me nuts how much I loathe him.

And argh, just thinking about the affect of the Opium Wars on China and the whole region is enough to make my face do funny things and possibly make me want to set things on fire. So to see that glorified? Even if it's from the POV of an ignorant Brit? I don't know if I can take it.