李鸿章 Li Hung-Chang

Whether the fully-empowered Chinese emissary who ratified the Shimonoseki Treaty Li Hung-Chang李鸿章 (1823年2月15日－1901年11月7日) was a traitor is still being debated in China. There is absolutely no doubt as far as the Taiwanese are concerned, he had betrayed Taiwan.

One year after Japan took over Taiwan, Li went on a grand tour, ostensibly as a fact-finding mission, of Europe and finally the US. He was welcomed in New York City in a manner befitting that of a head of state:

According to New York Times (August 28, 1896, Wednesday):

"AWAITING THE VICEROY; Plans for Li Hung Chang's Reception To-day. GEN. RUGER TO WELCOME HIM Salutes to be Fired by Naval Vessels and Land Guns. THE VISITOR TO RIDE UP BROADWAY He Will Land at the Pier of the Steamship St. Louis -- Troops and Police to Escort Him. TO BE LODGED IN THE WALDORF Preparations for Banquets There and at Delmonico's -- "Chinatown" to Celebrate with Fireworks."

In a NYT interview at 9AM, Sep 2, 1896, he was asked if there would be any future for American investments in China:

●美国记者：美国资本在清国投资有什么出路吗？

●李鸿章：只有将货币、劳动力和土地都有机地结合起来，才会产生财富。清国政府非常高兴地欢迎任何资本到我国投资。我的好朋友格兰特将军曾对我说，你们必须要求欧美资本进入清国以建立现代化的工业企业，帮助清国人民开发利用本国丰富的自然资源。但这些企业的管理权应掌握在清国政府手中。我们欢迎你们来华投资，资金和技工由你们提供。但是，对于铁路、电讯等事物，要由我们自己控制。我们必须保护国家主权，不允许任何人危及我们的神圣权力。我将牢记格兰特将军的遗训，所有资本，无论是美国的还是欧洲的，都可以自由来华投资。

His reply cited an advice from his old friend Gen Ulysses Grant: "You must allow European and American capitals into China to establish industrial enterprises, to help the people of Qing develop and profit from the rich natural resources. However, the management and control must be in the hands of the Qing Government." And based on this doctrine, all investments were welcome.

To put everything in perspective, four years later in 1900, the US joined England, Japan, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and Austria in sacking Beijing in the Boxer Rebellion. The looting of the Qing royal palaces and gardens and the pillaging of Beijing went on for days with no one claiming disadvantageous illnesses as in other previous wars with the Qing.

And despite fits and starts, in another 100 years or so, the US becomes the biggest debtor nation of China.

On the odd side, in an ad in Harper's Monthly (left, dated 1896, click to enlarge), Li appeared to be endorsing Johann Hoff's malt extract.

Malt Extract was/is not known in China (maybe 麥精?) Presumably, it is a product used in beer and bread making that is a ready to use form of the sugars found in grain.
--Usually made from barley
--Can be liquid or dried
--Flavor varies by type of grain, and how long it was roasted prior to extract

A comparison of the signature with that in Li's calligraphy (bottom right, click to enlarge) shows in the latter, the word 章Chang was without a vertical stroke extending through the middle, i.e., a 日, not a 田. This ad was probably one of those JoHo creations well-known at that time.

Not surprisingly, Li had amassed immense wealth with huge real estate holdings - rumored to "rival that of a nation". He was not without defenders, however:

梁啟超說：“世人競傳李鴻章富甲天下，此其事殆不足信，大約數百萬金之產業，意中事也。"

Although this still means a net worth of US$125 million.