THE MAGNET OF CATHAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 778, 30 March 1910, Page 10

THE MAGNET OF CATHAY.

CHINA'S' INFLUENCE ON THE, / •WESTERN WORLD.. .liord;' Li; Ching Fohg,] the Chinese Ambassador,.who .was.the guest-of. the evening, af the Authors'. Club,-.. London,' last month, . read a paper on' "The Influence/of China in the West." r p*.' "> e ; oourse of a reference to the early dpaportation of tea !into England, he -sajd ,ho could not'think'what England did before that happened, for even Queen i Elizabeth' drank beer- at breakfast.': Although tea 1 came ■ from China, they, wore:: not, responsible for the tax; that was English. Hq described his country. <as the .magnet and Europe asi the- filings, for China's influence' 011 the West'.iwa'sJuncon'sciously exercised, and as far 'back as (lie Middle Ages, Far Cathay and her millions- acted as an attractive'' power. ■ ~ China had a reserve . cif labour so great that it appeared , as if .it must compete . with other labour all over the world,' either directly or indirectly. "Our, people wilMiave to work,"- he proceeded,'. "and it'- must he- remembered that they are of simple habits. When Chinese labour gets a,-fair- chance, it will assuredly influence the world commercially and politically. Our influencb as producers and'workers may not lie entirely- popular, but it will/ no doubt be partly balanced b,v our more generally jjleasing aspect as consumers."