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Text Chapter 449 Tea Party

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    After the meeting, Derby sent someone to report written materials to Prime Minister Disraeli, and at the same time ordered an emergency telegram to be sent to Wade in China.  At this time, Witoma had already met with Bai Lang in Shanghai. Witoma asked Bai Lang in detail about the details of the Magali incident, and agreed with Bai Lang on a "unified caliber." After receiving a call from London, England,  After receiving the telegram from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Witoma did not immediately submit the "evidence" he had. Instead, he confidently issued a new negotiation plan, further expanding the blackmail conditions against China.  After issuing this plan, he left Shanghai and went to Yantai to discuss the issue of force threat with A.P. Ryder, commander of the British Navy in China.  Weituma would never have thought that everything he did was already planned by one person.  And he did not expect what consequences his rashness, arrogance and arrogance would bring to himself and the UK.  After Guo Songtao responded to the letter from the British Foreign Office, there was no movement from the British side regarding the Magali incident. At this time, it happened to be in the "london color ason", and Guo Songtao was suddenly involved in it, and it can be said that he was overwhelmed.  The word "London Season" is translated by Chinese as "London Social Season", which refers to the custom of the British upper class to hold various social activities together.  In the past, every midsummer, the air in London was polluted and the heat was unbearable. The nobles and wealthy families moved to country villas to escape the summer heat.  When Congress resumed its session at the end of the year, they flew back to the city like migratory birds, and various social activities began.  From mid-April to early August next year.  For more than a hundred days, it was the most beautiful time in the British Isles.  At this time, the sunshine hours are long, the temperature is comfortable, and there is not much rainfall. There are colorful tea parties, dances, dinners, concerts, gardening exhibitions, equestrian performances, etc. every day.  The social season originated in the 18th century and was established in the wealthy Victorian era.  Minister Guo Songtao, deputy envoy Liu Xihong, and the attach¨¦s of the mission, who have just established the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom in London, are just in time to participate in various activities of the social season.  What surprised Chinese officials the most was the palace dance.  June 22nd.  Chinese envoys were invited to Buckingham Palace for the first time.  They saw thousands of men and women, from crown princes and princesses to senior officials and ladies, dressed in costumes, dancing to the sound of music.  Zhang Deyi, the attach¨¦ of the embassy, ??recorded this: "In the front, there are princes, princesses, princesses, and relatives. On the left and right, there are ministers, attach¨¦s and couples from various countries. On the opposite floor, there is music playing. On the bottom, there are high-ranking civil and military officials in Tongcheng. Men and women gathered in thousands and hundreds, all  Wearing court uniforms. During the dance, there are two groups: the prince, the princess and the nobles are in one group, and the male and female officials are in one group. The men and women face each other and hold each other with their right hands.  The woman holds the man's shoulder with her left hand, and dances in the middle. Every two, three, four, and five couples dance together, and then stop after a few turns. However, the couple does not meet, and the brother and sister do not meet.  "It was just a couple." Liu Xihong criticized this kind of dance: "Dancing parties, men and women face each other, supporting each other. The man holds the woman's waist with one hand, and the woman holds the man's arm with one hand, and they dance.  In the atrium, four or five couples dance around the court several times before stopping. The women are naked, while the men's clothes are neat. However, the men's trousers in that country are dyed flesh-colored and cling to their legs. From a distance, it looks like their lower bodies are naked.  However, it is very unsightly.  Isn't it wrong to dance with each other? The story of Shang Zhou and Daji's wine pool and meat forest (he has identified Daji), so that China has this!  What a mess!" Guo Songtao's view is more profound: "There are absolutely incomprehensible things about Western customs. From the outer palace gate to the inner hall, the guards are all in a constant state, and there is no one who can overstep it.  During Dadan's play, the rules were still in order. The princes and the German princes were all dancing. In terms of Chinese etiquette, it was almost ridiculous, and its customs were far better than those in China.  "There was also a masquerade party, which also stunned them: "Lotte's dance party was filled with men and women wearing strange clothes, mixed with the costumes of various countries, and a woman with a sharp crown from Northern Mexico.  The crown is more than a foot high, and it was found that it was made in England more than a hundred years ago. There is also a woman with a high crown with more than ten layers of different colors. After asking, it was found that this style of crown was made by Louis IV of France.  These clothes are all prepared for the gathering. This is so-called child's play. However, the system of crown clothes has been made for hundreds of years, as well as the different customs of the five directions, and the shapes of Miao clothes and hats are imitated. It can also be used for studying ancient times and inspecting various regions.  The uniforms are colorful and eccentric, lighting up the room and making tea parties a special sight." They also attended concerts.  On behalf of the minister, Zhang Deyi went to the house of Mrs. Haseli to listen to a concert. There were eight singers, six men and two women, all Italians. Their voices were clear and skillful, and their rhyme was delicate and charming. Although Zheng Wei's voice was not as good as  It is also".  The tea party is the most frequently attended by Chinese missionaries.  The so-called tea party is "a long banquet with old tea, wine and fruit as bait, and guests are treated to drinks. The courtyard door and veranda are filled with flowers, which are fragrant and pleasant."  tea partyThe drinks served are "added with tea (coffee and tea), mixed with sugar and cheese, accompanied by cakes and bait, and placed on a banquet on the side of the hall, so that guests can drink it when they arrive. If there are many guests, they all sit down and chat."  Tea parties are invited very frequently during the social season.  In two days, they held 11 tea parties.  Zhang Deyi wrote in his diary: "I followed Ambassador Guo Xing by car and went to a tea party at the home of Chen Tingxuan, the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a tea party at the home of Lu Zhongheng, the former Guangdong Thirteenth Bank, during the day, and at night at the tea party at the Jining Trade Union and the Medical Center."  Note: "I followed Guo Xing's envoy to the Pan and Wu families of Thirteenth Line during the day, Fei Zilai, the former Shanghai Taxation Department and the late Feishilai's younger brother, and tea parties at the three families of Olandou and Mrs. Hooker, and went to Lin at night.  There were tea parties and dance parties at Chi and Rothschild¡¯s house.¡± In two days, they attended 11 events.  As Guo Songtao made more and more friends in London, invitations to various social events came one after another.  Some activities he had to participate in, and some he sent his subordinates to do it for him.  According to Zhang Deyi's diary statistics, during the 69 days from May 15 to July 22 of this year, he participated in social activities with Guo Songtao or on behalf of Guo Songtao, including 57 tea parties, 6 concerts, 12 dances, and a famous dog show.  , a gardening party, a fireworks show, a conversation, plus a charity auction and several dinners, and watched a boat race.  Chinese people with long braids and robes are walking among the foreigners with blond hair, blue eyes, and attractive men and women. Moreover, the ladies are still "naked" (Liu Xihong's descriptive word). The feelings in my heart cannot be fully described by words.  Drinking tea is an elegant custom originating from China, but at this time, the British tea party has surpassed ordinary living habits and become an important form of social interaction.  Different from the traditional Chinese literati tea party, the British tea party is not just a group of close friends drinking tea and chatting. Zhang Deyi wrote that the tea party of the Foreign Secretary Mrs. Derby was "thousands of men and women, crowded and very hot", "The tea party at Mrs. Gurney's house, the pavilion Chonghonghong"  "There were thousands and hundreds of men and women rubbing elbow to elbow." At the tea party at Mrs. Dao Mocun's house, "men and women gathered together, and there were thousands and hundreds of people. There was a long banquet in the Guangsha, with wine and food on display, and flowers all around. It was fragrant and pleasant."  , Xun Shenghui also".  Being often invited to participate in various social activities, Guo Songtao came up with the idea of ??holding a thank you tea party.  According to common sense, it is not polite to come but not go.  He inquired about the cost and heard that it would cost at least 500 pounds and 1,750 taels of silver to hold an event. "This amount cannot be reduced."  That evening, Guo Songtao told Zhang Deyi that he wanted to hold a tea party next month.  He also wanted to follow the British custom and issue invitations in the name of Mrs. Guo (that is, his second wife Liang who accompanied him abroad).  After hearing this, Zhang Deyi immediately expressed his objection tactfully: "According to Western customs, in any tea party or dance party, the heroine will be famous. However, this time the Chinese imperial envoy's tea party can be slightly flexible and does not have to be rigid." Guo Songtao said disapprovingly:  "When you go to the countryside and do as the Romans do, why should you be rigid? And the British all know that I am stationed here with my family, so there is nothing wrong with it." Zhang Deyi reminded Guo Songtao: "In the Western Kingdom, if Mrs. Ru is famous, the natural system will not be harmed. If this letter spreads to the country, people are afraid of it.  "If you say something annoying, you can't help but get angry." After listening to Zhang Deyi's words, Guo Songtao thought of Liu Xihong who had been avoiding him these days, and couldn't help but sigh, "Junfeng, you are right, I'll just follow you." Although Liu Xihong has been avoiding him these days.  He never refused to participate in social activities, but he tried his best to avoid being in the same place with Guo Songtao, and spent most of his time writing diaries in his study. At this time, Guo Songtao had already learned from the report of Li Jingmen, the attach¨¦ of the embassy, ??that Liu Xihong had "made up diaries for ten years."  "As soon as I sent it to Shen Jingxiang and Li Lansun," he was heartbroken and began to be wary of Liu Xihong. Therefore, he followed Zhang Deyi's suggestion and did not send invitations in the name of the Liang family.  In order to prepare for this tea party, the entire Chinese embassy was mobilized, deciding on the invitation list, making invitations, and was extremely busy.  On May 19, 1875, the Chinese Embassy in Britain successfully held the first tea party in the history of Chinese diplomacy.  The embassy has vacated all public spaces in the embassy building as well as the diplomats' dormitories.  From the gate to the second floor, there are lights, flowers and red carpets on the left and right.  The handrails of the stairs are decorated with white gauze, red spikes, and roses, peonies and camellias.  Flowers and lanterns are hung in the living room and dining room, and a long banquet is set horizontally. Tea, wine, coffee, iced milk, and snacks are placed in one place, and hot soup, cold meat, and dried and fresh fruits are placed in the other.  The knives, forks, cups and plates are neatly arranged, and the glass, silver and porcelain are dazzling.  Opposite the living room, a band is arranged.  Hanging flowers and colorful flowers, drums and music making noise.  A temporary cloakroom has also been set up.  A tent was set up outside the door, and six British policemen were hired to maintain order.  At that time, the Chinese Embassy was located at No. 45 Portland Street. It was a five-story building along the street. More than 800 guests were present. "Every guest felt happy to come."  (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster! PS: The second update is here! Please collect! Please recommend! Please subscribe! Please click! Please vote!
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