214
equip another ship for their own salvage purposes
Liu emphasised that all the influential Cantonese merchants agreed with him - "at the request of 100 odd men in Hong Kong", a merchant's society was formed “to protect their properties and industries in Canton". "For these men cannot afford to sit tight and see their interests seriously impaired by unscrupulous or theory-laden politicians.”
The Governor was obviously impressed by the scheme. He passed the scheme immediately to the British Consul in Canton, and thence to the British Consul in Beijing. He also informed London that Liu Zhubo was requested by Chen Jiongming to organize an Advisory Committee for the Canton Government. This committee was modelled after the Legislative Council in Hong Kong and would “possess the power of the executive Council" for the new Canton government.
For this proposed co-operation, Liu Zhubo planned a three-day trip to Canton in March 1921. On this trip, he submitted a six-page report to the Governor of Hong Kong. During his stay in Canton, Liu recorded that - while Sun Yat-sen and Wu Tangfing gave him little attention, it was General Chen Jiongming who, according to Liu, "accompanied me whenever I went". While "the veteran Doctor Wu discoursed on spiritualism... the redoubtable Doctor Sun gave a dissertation... on what appeared to be a form of communism", it was General Chen that discussed in secrecy with Liu on the scheme of a proposed new government.
The meeting ended with the agreement that Liu's son would be appointed member of the Executive Council for the new government "so things could be done in his name". Liu Zhubo, as well as the Governor of Hong Kong, however, doubted the leadership qualities of Chen Jiongming who was "neither by birth nor by temperament fit to be the representative of Kwangtung (Guangdong)". When the Governor suggested Liang Shiyi, the "ablest Cantonese of whom I [he] had recognized", Liu replied that "he was aiming at far greater things than a provincial Governorship".
Unsatisfactory as Chen Jiongming's leadership quality was, Liu Zhubo went to great lengths in his report to impress the Governor that all the important merchants in Canton were "inducing" him not to drop
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214
equip another ship for their own salvage purposes
Liu emphasised that all the influential Cantonese merchants agreed with him - "at the request of 100 odd men in Hong Kong", a merchant's society was formed “to protect their properties and industries in Canton". "For these men cannot afford to sit tight and see their interests seriously impaired "by unscrupulous or theory-laden politicans.”
The Governor was obviously impressed by the scheme. He passed the scheme immediately to the British Consul in Canton, and thence to the British Consul in Beijing. He also informed London that Liu Zhubo was requested by Chen Jiongming to organize an Advisory Committee for the Canton Government This committee was modelled after the Legislative Council in Hong Kong and would “ possess the power of the executive Council" for the new Canton government.
For this proposed co-operation, Liu Zhubo planned a three-day trip to Canton in March 1921. On this trip, he submitted a six-page report to the Governor of Hong Kong. During his stay in Canton, Liu recorded that - while Sun Yat-sen and Wu Tangfing gave him little attention, it was General Chen Jiongming who, according to Liu, "accompanied me whenever I went". While "the veteran Doctor Wu discoursed on spintualism... the redoubtable Doctor Sun gave a dissertation... on what appeared to be a form of communism", it was General Chen that discussed in secrecy with Liu on the scheme of a proposed new government.
The meeting ended with the agreement that Liu's son would be appointed member of the Executive Council for the new government "so things could be done in his name". Liu Zhubo, as well as the Governor of Hong Kong, however, doubted the leadership qualities of Chen Jongming who was "neither by birth nor by temperament fit to be the representative of Kwangtung ( Guangdong )". When the Governor suggested Liang Shiyi, the "ablest Cantonese of whom I [he] had recognized", Liu replied that "he was aiming at far greater things than a provincial Governorship".
Unsatisfactory as Chen Jiongming's leadership quality was, Liu Zhubo went to great lengths in his report to impress the Governor that all the important merchants in Canton were "inducing" him not to drop
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