Chapter 3: The Rise of the Great Powers 243: The Disappointment 3

The opening ceremony of the International Expo on May 1, 1851 became a festival throughout London. Queen Victoria of England repeatedly used a word in her diary to express her excitement: glory, glory, endless glory.

The whole of London was hustle and bustle-shaped women's clothing and scarves. They stood on both sides of the warm orange-red carpet of the small platform to welcome Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The men in vests stood behind the ladies. Thousands of people looked down at the hall from the hanging towers on both sides of the promenade, while more people were waiting outside of the Hyde Park in London, hoping to flock into the hall. This was the beginning of the most spectacular summer in the world's most powerful country.

As nine carriages drove to Rottoro Street from Buckingham Palace, the parades on the street waved the garlands in their hands. Queen Victoria and his husband Prince Albert rode on the wide royal carriage together. The queen waved her hands to her subjects, and the cheers of people rose one after another. The entire royal carriage slowly drove towards Hyde Park under the escort of the guards. The Royal Guards riding on tall horses remained in the order of the team as they marched. Their unified white mounts raised their front legs high in the sound of drums and music, and stepped on the ground together like dancing.

When the Royal Carriage stopped on Rottoluo Street, the artillery soldiers of the Royal Cavalry Group fired their salutes. The sound of cannons shook the crowd, and the hearts of people could not help but shake. An irrepressible leaking point spread among the crowd, and the crowd boiled to a new height. Facing the royal couple who came down from the carriage, the British shouted at the same time, "Long live England, long live Queen Victoria! This shout comes from the pride of a citizen of a great country. 1851 was the period of Britain's strong heyday, and it was showing the fruits of industrial power to the world. Britain was showing the world that Britain at this time was not Britain in Europe.

It took nearly half an hour for the 41st ground salute to be released, and the Queen and his wife also walked into the huge bronze iron gate. They walked along a red carpet toward the Crystal Palace.

The crystal clear crystal palace attracted everyone's attention. People's eyes could not be removed from the house built on the glass. In fact, to modern people, this crystal palace is just ordinary, because modern buildings can be seen everywhere in modern buildings. But at that time, the pioneering work of this modern building gave people indescribable shock at that time. Xu Jiyu was also shocked, and the power of industrial ** showed his charm in this building. While Xu Jiyu was carefully observing this huge and unique building, British diplomats asked him and a group of foreign envoys to come forward to meet the Queen of England.

Among more than a dozen countries participating in the expo, Xu Jiyu's clothing is particularly eye-catching. Among those Western envoys who like to wear fakes, Xu Jiyu's red official hat and second-rank official uniform embroidered with patterns seem independent and special. The Queen's eyes of the British were also attracted by Xu Jiyu: in her impression, China is a backward and barbaric country, and they should not have been separated from the age and conservative; they are eagerly waiting for the British

The glory of the empire shines on the East of the old system. But Xu Jiyu gave her the impression that she was polite, neither arrogant nor humble, and could speak fluent English. The queen couldn't help but feel curious about China. In fact, the queen had these ideas and countries participating in the expo. Most of them were curious about this mysterious oriental power. What kind of products would they bring to the exhibition?

After entering the interior of the Crystal Palace, the novel products here are refreshing. The Chinese exhibition room is located on the south side of the Crystal Palace. On the left is the Tunisian exhibition room and on the right is close to the entrance of the Kensinton Road, Crystal Palace. Compared with France, the United States, Canada and other countries, the area of ​​the Chinese exhibition room is no less than the one. It is full of a wide range of goods, and the most eye-catching one is not the exquisite Chinese handicrafts. It is not a gatehouse full of oriental atmosphere and two big red lanterns hanging high in front of the exhibition area, but a car riding in circles.

, 28-lane permanent bicycles. Of course, it must be related to Liu Ji. But this is not important. If there is no rubber produced by Lanfang Island and the Philippines, the permanent bicycle is still a drawing. Now this bicycle produced by Rongde Company is surrounded by curious visitors. Xu Rongcun, the main owner of Rongde Company, looked at the crowd of people watching with a smile. The general manager responsible for the company's product sales next to him was full of sweat, but Xu Rongcun couldn't help feeling sad when he remembered that China and Britain are still beating countries.

Compared with the permanent bicycles, Phoenix's Phoenix sewing machines are also popular and popular. What surprised Europeans the most was that from the quality of the sewing machines, the steel and machine tools produced by the Chinese have reached a certain level, which should be said to be completely comparable to the British craftsmanship.

In addition to the above products, wired telegraphs produced in China have also made a big splash at the expo, especially those cables wrapped in rubber. With this layer of rubber, the cables can be buried in the ground for telegraphs at a distance. Some foreigners who have been to China finally understand why telegraph bureaus in China are spread all over the country.

Not only are the industrial products in China popular, but also various handicrafts with a long history are also very popular among Western countries.

Even the Queen of England came to the China exhibition area and couldn't let go of her love. Xu Jiyu took the opportunity to present a pastel peach to the queen. "Fu Shou" pattern lazily wrapped the bottle. The body of this 40 cm high porcelain is white with a white glaze, showing a shiny translucent feeling. From the bottom of the bottle, a lifelike peach branch extends to the bottleneck. On the belly of the bottle, a few longevity peaches hung heavily on the branches and green leaves. The whole picture is elegant and gentle, and the peaches are distributed appropriately, full and rhythmically, giving people a sense of vitality.

The preciousness of this porcelain was seen by Prince Albert next to him. He hugged his lazy bottle and watched it carefully, and his eyebrows were filled with praise every time.

After Xu Jixiu bowed and saw the queen away, he also started to visit the expo. Xu Rongcun followed Xu Jixiu, and the two started chatting while walking.

"Mr. Xu, why did this war start? Do you think we can win?"

Xu Jima was a little worried after knowing that Xu Rongcun had witnessed the strength of the British, but Xu Jima was an official of the court after all, and he knew more about the true power of China than Xu Rongcun. When he saw Xu Rongcun asking, he replied: "I don't know either, but judging from the situation where the British warmly received us, it is probably not good for them. After all, the British and we are separated from each other by thousands of miles. It may not be so easy to fight China."

"I am worried that the war will be unfavorable to our businessmen. Many of our products are sold abroad by sea. The British blocked the port and our business will be difficult. Our business will be difficult. Our business will be difficult, fewer workers will be hired and less taxes will be reduced, which will be unfavorable to our Greater China."
Chapter completed!