In 1896, Li Hongzhang swaggered to the United States, wanting to show Americans his Chinese style. He deliberately put on the yellow coat given by the Queen Mother, ready to show off. However, as soon as he appeared, the Americans next to him were all wearing fashionable suits, which was simply out of place with him!
He had seen the suits worn by foreigners many times, but when he stepped out of the cabin and saw the crowd of people on the shore, he felt that he was wearing a yellow coat and the yellow fur of a monkey.
This time, when they heard that Li Hongzhang was visiting the United States, the American people invariably came to the wharf to see what this governor of the Qing Dynasty and the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty looked like. When they saw the Qing court officials wearing Qing Dynasty official uniforms and braids on the back, many people couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle and whisper.
However, thinking about how many winds and waves he Li Hongzhang has experienced, he can still calmly deal with this small scene. He calmly shook hands with General Wilson, who had come to greet him, and then met US President Cleveland and his wife, who had come to greet him, which gave him some confidence to regain some of his confidence.
The Mounties then opened the way and led the delegation through Battery Park, Broadway, Washington Square, and finally to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where they were staying.
Along the way, Li Hongzhang and others saw towering modern buildings and cars coming and going on the street, demonstrating the vitality of modern science and technology and life, which was in stark contrast to the dilapidated, poor and weak China.
Li Hongzhang saw the difference between the Qing Dynasty and the West very clearly, as can be seen in the interview with him in the New York Times.
When asked what he was most interested in what he had seen and heard in the United States, he was most surprised that there were skyscrapers of 20 stories or higher, which were not found in Qing China or Europe.
These buildings look sturdy and should be able to withstand any strong winds, but in the Qing Dynasty, such tall buildings could not be built because they would collapse as soon as the typhoon came. And it is also inconvenient for high-rise buildings to have no supporting elevators.
On the question of whether ordinary people received education, he said that in the Qing Dynasty, only the children (boys) of high-ranking officials and nobles could go to private schools, and girls could only hire tutors. He plans to build more schools in the country in the future. And learn from the American education system to attract the introduction of suitable for the national conditions of the Qing Dynasty.
In addition, he also has some knowledge of political parties in the United States, and is curious that these political parties can jointly safeguard national interests, and in his understanding, there can only be one power to protect the interests of the country.
From these answers, it can be seen that in fact, he saw the gap between China and the West very clearly, although he tried his best to promote the Westernization movement and tried his best to catch up with the West immediately, but the blows of these years have made him recognize the real gap.
However, even if he wanted to open up China and keep up with the development of the outside world, he was still limited by the times, and his thinking stayed in the shackles of feudal autocracy, unwilling to reform, and even less willing to lose the power and interests in his hands.
In order to protect the interests of the ruler, he agreed to cede land and pay compensation, just to retain the dignity of the important ministers of the country, but unfortunately this dignity is not worth mentioning in the face of the disparity in national strength.
Once, the reception staff took Li Hongzhang and his entourage to the National Library in Washington, looking at the magnificent building, the Qing court entourage couldn't help but exclaim, but Li Hongzhang still looked like a big country minister.
While listening to the translation of the translator next to him, he took out the pipe he had brought with him and began to smoke. The Americans present were shocked by the fact that "no smoking in the library" is common sense, and this person who claims to be from the country of etiquette has blatantly broken the etiquette.
The staff on the side immediately reminded in a whisper that Li Hongzhang, who was accustomed to enjoying flattery in China, did not expect that his status would not be an exception, and such a rule was unheard of.
He looked displeased, but he didn't dare to attack because of his feelings, and put away his cigarette. Just when everyone thought they could communicate normally, Li Hongzhang made a jaw-dropping gesture that made them jaw-dropping.
He cleared the phlegm from his throat, and then spat out a mouthful of old phlegm onto the smooth ground, which was especially glaring. After spitting up, he smiled slightly, and countered the act of not letting him smoke just now.
However, the smile did not last long, and the library staff immediately asked him to clean the phlegm from the floor.
When Li Hongzhang heard such a request, it was naturally impossible to clean it up. The entourage also seemed to have heard incredible words, how could an adult do such a thing, so they squatted down and wanted to do it for them.
However, this staff member is not a good stubble, and resolutely asked Li Hongzhang to clean it up personally, otherwise he would be fined. Li Hongzhang was humiliated, the two sides were deadlocked, and finally the matter was fined.
