Alice in Asia: The 1905 Taft Mission to Asia, Guangzhou 广州

Guangzhou 广州

September 3: Guangzhou

“Canton at that moment was going through a period of violent anti-American feeling. Only the men of the party would be allowed to land there, the women were not even to be permitted to go up the river. However, I met an officer in command of an American gun-boat who said that he would take us, and, on condition that we did not go on shore at Canton proper. Mr. Taft said, ‘Yes.’”

“We spent the day with Consul-General and Mrs. Lay on the island of Shaneen where our Consulate is. It is separated from Canton by a canal, across which we gazed at the narrow crowded streets of the great Chinese city. Only an occasional coolie on the opposite bank shook his fist at us. Later we heard of lampoons that had been circulated in Canton, in which I was pictured seated in a chair carried by four turtles. The meaning of the writing around the picture was said to be very rude indeed. It seems that in China to call one a turtle or to associate one’s name with a turtle is the equivalent of making a reflection upon one’s ancestry. We were told that the authors of the pamphlet would be executed. So I had to intercede for them, to ask for mercy which I believe was granted.””