America
Through the Spectacles of an Oriental Diplomat




[Note on text: Italicized sections are capitalized.
A few obvious errors have been corrected.
Some footnotes have been added, and are clearly marked.]






Introduction:



While this book is by no means famous, it is a remarkable chance
to look at America of 1914 through the eyes of an outsider.
Wu Tingfang shows evidence of having thought through many issues
of relevance to the United States, and while some of his thoughts
are rather odd -- such as his suggestion that the title of President
be replaced by the title of Emperor; and others are unfortunately wrong --
such as his hopes for peace, written on the eve of the First World War;
they are all well-considered and sometimes show remarkable insight
into American culture.

Even so, it should be remarked that he makes some errors,