Li Hongzhang experienced the elevator for the first time when he visited the United States. What's the joke?

The dusty atmosphere overseas is still lingering, so why not wait and see? . This is a sentence written by Li Hongzhang, a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, on his deathbed. At present, the humiliation of overseas guns has not stopped. Please stop looking down on overseas people. Although the literary talent is not good, it is really touching to cherish the feelings of the world at this time of death.

In fact, Li Hongzhang is known as one of the three great men in the world in the19th century, and his outstanding diplomatic ability has established a great and glorious image in the western world. But on the other hand, ironically, what do China people think of it? Traitor? , is a sinner who has lost his power and humiliated his country.

Li Hongzhang only realized the promotion of overseas earlier than his colleagues, and he was more sober than his colleagues. Therefore, he actively took certain measures to appeal to the people of China to pay attention to this issue. He tried his best to enable China to deal with uninvited overseas barbarians, and he led the process.

He was a key figure in launching the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty19th century, and was also the first official who realized that China needed diplomacy at that time. 1896, Li Hongzhang visited the United States immediately after signing the treaty of shimonoseki, which humiliated his country and his rights. At that time, there were different opinions in China that Li Hongzhang was evading accusations, but after the Westernization Movement began, Li Hongzhang actually realized the power of western science and technology.

After he arrived in the United States, the United States arranged a grand welcoming ceremony to welcome Li Hongzhang. After getting off the vehicle, Li Hongzhang saw the tall buildings in the United States, and he couldn't help feeling after weighing them. It was difficult to build that high in the Qing dynasty, and even if it was built, it was not strong. ?

As an important official of the Qing Dynasty who entered the officialdom in 1847, he entered the officialdom in his youth, captured the Taiping Army in his prime, became a frontier official in middle age, and launched the Westernization Movement in his later years. I have experienced the ups and downs of the Qing dynasty in my life, so I don't know why the Qing dynasty couldn't build tall buildings. I'm afraid it was the corruption of the Qing court and the covetousness of the great powers that made it afraid to build it.

During his visit to the United States, Li Hongzhang was arranged to live in Waldorf, which already has an elevator. He didn't know what the first time he saw the elevator was, but said, This room is too small. I'm afraid it can't even hold a chair. ? Qing people who have never seen an elevator or even a concept naturally don't understand.

But in the eyes of Americans at that time, Li Hongzhang was like a bumpkin from the countryside, which became a joke still circulating in the United States. But at that time, I told Li Hongzhang in detail the function and principle of the elevator. Li Hongzhang listened carefully, perhaps wondering whether he could move back to the Qing Dynasty. This is very sad for modern people.

1896 America is full of lights, tall buildings and traffic. However, during the period of 1896, the people of China were in dire straits, lacking material resources and wailing everywhere. This sharp contrast makes Li Hongzhang feel extremely sad. But the 73-year-old man is dying. If he were younger, maybe everything would be different now.

In his later years, Li Hongzhang tried his best to save China, which was already tottering, and hoped to strengthen himself through Westernization. But there is still no way to change the fact that China has fallen behind. The world criticized Li Hongzhang for signing so many unequal treaties that humiliated his country, but this was the result of Li Hongzhang's efforts. These criticisms are strong evidence of his patriotic defense!