In 1900, the Boxer Movement developed rapidly in the Beijing-Tianjin area. In this regard, the German minister Klind was very dissatisfied, he sat on the sedan chair aggressively to the yamen to question the Qing court. Unexpectedly, there was a conflict on the way, Klind was killed by the Shenji camp. After the incident, the eight-nation invading army used this as an excuse to threaten the Qing court and approached the city. After the signing of the Xin Chou Treaty in 1901, the Eight-Power Allied Forces forced the Qing court to send princes and ministers to Germany to apologize. In desperation, Emperor Cixi and Emperor Guangxu had to send Prince Zaifeng (Regent), the first envoy, to Germany to apologize. Take a look at a set of old photos of Zaifeng in the late Qing Dynasty. This one is Zai Feng. He was 18 years old.
Zaifeng is the second generation of alcohol prince, the fifth son of the old prince Aixinjueluo Yizhen, the younger brother of Emperor Guangxu, and the biological father of Emperor Xuantong Puyi. During Puyi's proclaiming the emperor, he was the regent of the country, the actual master of the power of the Qing court, and his position was prominent. Because of the Boxer Movement, after the Minister Klind was killed in Beijing, Zaifeng was appointed by the Empress Dowager Cixi as the first-class minister to Germany to apologize and apologize, and appointed Zhang Yi and Yinchang as ministers, and accompanied Zaifeng on his visit. This picture was taken on July 12, 1901, when the 18-year-old Zaifeng left Beijing for Germany in the name of "first-class envoy" and personally apologized for the killing of Klind.
On the morning of July 12, 1901, Zaifeng and his entourage set off from Yongdingmen, arrived in Tanggu in the afternoon, and boarded the Anping ship of China Merchants. On July 15, the ship arrived in Shanghai. Then transfer to the German steamer Bayan to go to Germany. After more than a month of turbulent sailing, it arrived at Basel near Germany on the northwest border of Switzerland on August 23. This photo was taken with the Governor of Hong Kong when Prince Chin Zaifeng was visiting Germany and was passing through Hong Kong.
When Zaifeng went to Germany, he passed through Shanghai, where the officers and soldiers closed the road and the pomp was spectacular. At this time, Zaifeng was only 18 years old, but he shouldered the heavy responsibility of going to Germany to apologize. When Zaifeng left Beijing, he publicly stated: This is not a glorious trip, and it does not need to be extravagant. When I arrived in Shanghai, I saw that the reception was too grand, and I emphasized "be frugal." This picture shows Zaifeng passing through Nanjing Road while passing through Shanghai.
This photo shows Zaifeng with the governor and his family as well as officers, generals and other officials when the German ship passed through Hong Kong. In the photo, you can see that this "apology and apology" trip made everyone look different. Zaifeng’s visit was to apologize to Germany as a prince, so he was very concerned about etiquette. At that time, the Qing's envoy to Germany, Lu Haihuan, asked the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the etiquette of the meeting before Zaifeng's envoy, but the German side did not reply. Until Zaifeng arrived in Germany on August 19, the German side suddenly notified Lu Haihuan: "The German emperor sat down in Whitehall, the prince bowed three times, handed over the book, and chanted. Qie Zhao's minister bowed to the emperor in court."
After arriving in Germany, the Kaiser, in order to create difficulties and humiliate Zaifeng, asked Zaifeng to bow down to him and forced him to kneel. When the 18-year-old Zaifeng heard about it, he refused directly. He said: "Ning to die in the West Sea, not willing to kneel to the emperor. How can the prince of Qing Dynasty kneel in front of the'foreign devils'?" For this kneeling ceremony, the two parties negotiated. Ten days. In the end, the German side compromised and let Zaifeng and his entourage bow. This photo is of Zai Feng (middle) and Cabinet Scholar Zhang Yi (fourth from right) and Deputy Du Tong Yinchang (fifth from left) when they went to Germany.
At noon on September 4th, Zaifeng was accompanied by Yinchang to the German Imperial Palace. Zaifeng bowed three times to William II, handed over the letter of credence, and read the speech, expressing his deep apologies. Facing the "apology" of a prince of a country, the Kaiser was very arrogant. After bowing and apologizing, Zaifeng wanted to visit Britain, Italy and other countries to "see the world with an eye open", but he was firmly opposed by Germany, saying, "If you go to Europe to compare Britain and Italy, it would be against your own sincerity." Zaifeng had no choice but to give up. This picture is the scene when Zai Feng arrived in Germany.
Zaifeng's apology trip to Germany this time broadened his horizons and deepened his understanding of foreign countries. This picture is from 1901, Zai Feng, who went to Germany to apologize to the Kaiser, was on the armored steamship "Bavaria". The people in the photo are: Secretary of the Army Yin Chang,Zhang Yi, the envoy of the Qing court, Zaifeng, the prince of alcohol, Major General von Hirst of the German Imperial Naval Squadron, and the captain of the warship. After Zaifeng returned to China, Empress Dowager Cixi was very satisfied with his performance on this trip to Germany. Someone praised Zaifeng: "From this generation of Optimus Prime, we must rely on my king's hands to support himself."
