Anecdotes of Chinese scientist Huang Kun and diplomat Wu Tingfang of the late Qing Dynasty

China's semiconductor technology founder Huang Kun is one of the winners of the country's highest science and technology award, Huang Kun once applied for a project, the approver is his student, the student asked after reading the report: "This topic, if you are approved 1 million, can it reach the world's leading level?" Huang Kun smiled and replied very seriously: "You gave me this 1 million, I can see where the foreigners have run, but I still can't catch up, if you don't give me this 1 million, I can't even figure out where the foreigners ran." ”

In 1905, Mexico followed the example of the United States to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, and Wu Tingfang, the first Chinese ambassador to the United States, was ordered to mediate, and the other side's attitude was quite tough, Wu Tingfang shot up at the negotiating table and resolutely shouted: "Lower the flag!" Return! Send a telegram to the Chinese government and send troop ships to negotiate with you again. Wu Tingfang had dealings with Mexico in his early years, and it was very clear that Mexicans were scared by the Americans in Texas, and when they heard the words of soldiers, they were excited, so they came together to empty the city plan, and the Mexican authorities quickly asked the US government to mediate, and this diplomatic war ended with Mexico abolishing the decree prohibiting the entry of Chinese workers, which just verified a famous sentence of Wu Tingfang: "Weak countries have no diplomacy, but they can have diplomats." ”