Opioid selling Indian opium which was smuggled into China in defiance of Chinese government bans. This led to the First (1839–1842) and Second Opium Wars (1856–1860) between China and Britain. In the 19th century, two major scientific advances were made that had far-reaching effects. Around 1804, German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner isolated morphine from opium. He described its crystallization, structure, and pharmacological properties in a well-received paper in 1817. Morphine was the first alkaloid to be isolated from any medicinal plant, the beginning of modern scientific drug discovery. The second advance, nearly fifty years later, was the refinement of the hypodermic needle
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China the time only ten years old) is featured briefly. Jian Wang has gone on to international stardom. Another performer, violinist Vera Tsu Weiling, was featured playing "Caprice after a study in the form of a waltz" by Saint-Saens, arranged by Ysaÿe. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1981. It was also screened out of competition at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival. The Academy Film Archive preserved "Mao to Mozart" in 2000. From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China is a 1979 documentary film about Western culture