Overtures To China
The hopes for a breakthrough in China rested on using the Lama as an intermediary with the Qianlong Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, an astute but aloof ruler who regarded all the world as tributaries. In 1780, Palden Yeshe visited Peking (Beijing) where he came close to gaining a passport for Bogle. The Emperor presented him with a golden urn for use in ceremonial lotteries and the goodwill seemed to suggest that a passport would be issued. However, he was struck down by smallpox and died that same year. (It was not until 1793, that a British envoy ) Lord Macartney was, very sceptically, received by the Chinese Emperor).
Read more about this topic: George Bogle (diplomat)
Famous quotes containing the words overtures and/or china:
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