Li Hongzhang's Diplomatic Jokes

Li Hongzhang visited the United States at the age of 73, and even deliberately spat on the steps of the library to express his personal dissatisfaction and resentment.

Why is this? Li Hongzhang visited the United States 10 day, and after visiting a library in the United States, he vomited on the ground. When the library staff saw it, they asked Li Hongzhang to erase it himself. And Li Hongzhang, a proud man, even as an imperial envoy and diplomat who visited the United States in the Qing Dynasty, how could he agree to bend his knees? In the embarrassing situation that the entourage was sent to clean up, but the staff insisted on cleaning it himself, the farce ended in a fine.

After all, we all know that Li Hongzhang's trip to America was really humbled. The late Qing government was corrupt and incompetent, and those in power were afraid of death. Empress Dowager Cixi tried to make peace with western imperialist powers by signing a series of unequal treaties in order to stabilize her power and enjoy a luxurious life. Li Hongzhang went to the West to learn advanced military technology from the West and seek ways to resist Western colonization.

However, senior British officials proudly introduced their advanced technology and strengthened their ships and guns, thinking that it was impossible for the Qing Dynasty to build such a powerful ship. This made Li Hongzhang very angry. Cruisers and rows of gun barrels left a deep memory in his heart, and he firmly believed that the Qing Dynasty would be built successfully. Since then, the "Westernization Movement" has been a self-help movement of people of insight such as Li Hongzhang and Zuo.

What is even more commendable is that Li Hongzhang did not forget to protect the rights and interests of Chinese when he visited the United States. In new york, Li Hongzhang gave a speech, comparing Christianity with Confucianism. He protested the American Chinese Exclusion Act and called on Chinese workers to unite.