Editing Li Hongzhang (section)

===Tour of Russia, Europe and North America===
[[File:Li Hung Chang, Vanity Fair, 1896-08-13.jpg|thumb|Hongzhang by [[Jean Baptiste Guth|Guth]] in ''[[Vanity Fair (UK magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', 13 August 1896]]
[[File:No 3 Arrival of Li Hung Chang, Chinese Viceroy, at Vancouver BC, with photo of Viceroy in corner (HS85-10-8782).jpg|thumb|Hongzhang's arrival at [[Vancouver]] in 1896.]]

In 1896, Li attended the [[Coronation of the Russian monarch|coronation]] of [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] of the [[Russian Empire]] on behalf of the Qing Empire and toured Europe, Canada and the United States, where he advocated reform of the American immigration policies that had greatly restricted Chinese immigration after the [[Chinese Exclusion Act]] of 1882 (renewed in 1892).<ref name="li-nyt-geary-act" />

In a famous interview published by ''[[The New York Times]]'' on September 3, 1896, Li was asked whether he favored the introduction of the newspaper into China as developed in the U.S. or in Europe. Li's answer was stunningly honest: "There are newspapers in China, but the Chinese editors, unfortunately, do not tell the truth. They do not, as your papers, tell 'the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth.' The editors in China are great economizers of the truth; they tell only a part of it. They do not have, therefore, the great circulations that your papers have. Because this economy of the truth, our papers fail in the mission of a great press, to be one of the means of civilization."<ref name="li-nyt-geary-act">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1896/09/03/archives/li-on-american-hatred-chinese-laborers-he-says-have-higher-virtues.html|title=LI ON AMERICAN HATRED: CHINESE LABORERS, HE SAYS, HAVE HIGHER VIRTUES. Argues for Free Competition in Labor as Well as Free Trade in Commodities -- The Geary Act Most Unfair, He Says in a Formal Audience with Reporters -- Amazed by Our Tall Buildings and Pleased with Most Things He Sees. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=3 September 1896 |page=10}}</ref>

While in Britain, he toured parts of the country by train, keeping with his desire to inspire railway development in his own country while constantly fighting against the prejudices of conservative leaders. He visited the industrial area in [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]], [[North West England]], and toured [[Windermere|Lake Windermere]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Li-Hung-chang-UK-visit-1896.jpg|title=English: Li Hung-chang's visit to Britain in 1896|first=Original photographer|last=unknown|date=August 4, 2013|via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref> on the steamer [[SY Tern|''Tern'']] operated by the [[Furness Railway|Furness Railway Company]]. He also witnessed the [[Fleet Review, Royal Navy#Queen Victoria|1896 Royal Naval Fleet Review at Spithead]]. It was during his visit to Britain in 1896 that [[Queen Victoria]] made him a Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]].<ref name="Antony Best 1922">Antony Best, "Race, Monarchy, and the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, 1902–1922,"[[Social Science Japan Journal]] 2006 9(2):171–186</ref>